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VOCABULARY LISTS VOCABULARY LISTS : TEST PREP

The Vocabulary.com Top 1000 May 19, 2011 By Vocabulary.com (NY)

The top 1,000 vocabulary words have been carefully chosen to represent difficult but common words that appear in everyday academic and business writing. These words are also the most likely to appear on the SAT, ACT, GRE, and ToEFL. To create this list, we started with the words that give our users the most trouble and then ranked them by how frequently they appear in our corpus of billions of

words from edited sources. If you only have time to study one list of words, this is the list. Rate this list: 4 (1599 votes)

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1000 WordsPracticeSpelling BeeAssignComments (134) show: definitions & notes only words

1.

consider deem to be

At the moment, artemisinin-based therapies are considered the best treatment, but cost about $10 per dose - far too much for impoverished communities. — Seattle Times (Feb 16, 2012)

2.

minute infinitely or immeasurably small

The minute stain on the document was not visible to the naked eye.

3.

accord concurrence of opinion

The committee worked in accord on the bill, and it eventually passed.

4.

evident

clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment That confidence was certainly evident in the way Smith handled the winning play with 14 seconds left on the clock. — Reuters (Jan 15, 2012)

5.

practice a customary way of operation or behavior

He directed and acted in plays every season and became known for exploring Elizabethan theatre practices. — BBC (Feb 16, 2012)

6.

intend have in mind as a purpose

“Lipstick, as a product intended for topical use with limited absorption, is ingested only in very small quantities,” the agency said on its website. — BusinessWeek (Feb 15, 2012)

7.

concern something that interests you because it is important

The scandal broke out in October after former chief executive Michael Woodford claimed he was fired for raising concerns about the company's accounting practices. — BBC (Feb 15, 2012)

8.

commit perform an act, usually with a negative connotation

In an unprecedented front page article in 2003 The Times reported that Mr. Blair, a young reporter on its staff, had committed journalistic fraud. — New York Times (Feb 15, 2012)

9.

issue some situation or event that is thought about

As a result, the privacy issues surrounding mobile computing are becoming ever-more complex. — Time (Feb 16, 2012)

10.

approach move towards

Spain’s jobless rate for people ages 16 to 24 is approaching 50 percent. — New York Times (Feb 15, 2012)

11.

establish set up or found

A small French colony, Port Louis, was established on East Falkland in 1764 and handed to the Spanish three years later. — BBC (Feb 16, 2012)

12.

utter without qualification

No one can blame an honest mechanic for holding a wealthy snob in utter contempt. — Ingersoll, Robert Green

13.

conduct direct the course of; manage or control

Scientists have been conducting studies of individual genes for years. — BusinessWeek (Feb 15, 2012)

14.

engage consume all of one's attention or time

We had nearly two hundred passengers, who were seated about on the sofas, reading, or playing games, or engaged in conversation. — Field, Henry M. (Henry Martyn)

15.

obtain come into possession of

He delayed making the unclassified report public while awaiting an Army review, but Rolling Stone magazine obtained the report and posted it Friday night. — New York Times (Feb 11, 2012)

16.

scarce deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand

Meanwhile, heating oil could grow more scarce in the Northeast this winter, the Energy Department warned last month. — New York Times (Jan 21, 2012)

17.

policy a plan of action adopted by an individual or social group

Inflation has lagged behind the central bank’s 2 percent target, givingpolicy makers extra scope to cut rates. — BusinessWeek (Feb 15, 2012)

18.

straight successive, without a break

After three straight losing seasons, Hoosiers fans were just hoping for a winning record. — Seattle Times (Feb 15, 2012)

19.

stock capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares

In other words, Apple’s stock is cheap, and you should buy it. — Forbes (Feb 16, 2012)

20.

apparent clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment

But the elderly creak is beginning to become apparent in McCartney’s voice. — Time (Feb 16, 2012)

21.

property a basic or essential attribute shared by members of a class

Owing to these magic properties, it was often planted near dwellings to keep away evil spirits. — Parsons, Mary Elizabeth

22.

fancy imagine; conceive of; see in one's mind

For a time, indeed, he had fancied that things were changed. — Weyman, Stanley J.

23.

concept an abstract or general idea inferred from specific instances

As a psychologist, I have always found the concept of speed dating fascinating. — Scientific American (Feb 13, 2012)

24.

court

an assembly to conduct judicial business When Brown pleaded not guilty to assaulting Rihanna, their violent past came out in court. — Slate (Feb 16, 2012)

25.

appoint assign a duty, responsibility or obligation to

In 1863 he was appointed by the general assembly professor of oriental languages at New College. — Various

26.

passage a section of text, particularly a section of medium length

His interpretation of many obscure scriptural passages by means of native manners and customs and traditions is particularly helpful and informing. — Sheets, Emily Churchill Thompson

27.

vain unproductive of success

An attempt was made to ignore this brilliant and irregular book, but invain; it was read all over Europe. — Various

28.

instance

an occurrence of something In many instances large districts or towns would have fewer representatives than smaller ones, or perhaps none at all. — Clarke, Helen Archibald

29.

coast the shore of a sea or ocean

Martello towers must be built within short distances all round thecoast. — Wingfield, Lewis

30.

project a planned undertaking

The funds are aimed at helping build public projects including mass transit, electricity networks, water utility and ports, it said. — BusinessWeek (Feb 17, 2012)

31.

commission a special group delegated to consider some matter

The developers are now seeking approval from the landmarkscommission. — New York Times (Feb 16, 2012)

32.

constant

a quantity that does not vary In 1929, Hubble independently put forward and confirmed the same idea, and the parameter later became known as the Hubble constant. — Nature (Nov 15, 2011)

33.

circumstances one's overall condition in life

The circumstances leading up to the shootings was not immediately available. — Chicago Tribune (Feb 19, 2012)

34.

constitute to compose or represent

Oil and natural gas constituted almost 50 percent of Russian government revenue last year. — BusinessWeek (Feb 19, 2012)

35.

level a relative position or degree of value in a graded group

Only last month did the men’s and women’s unemployment rates reach the same level. — New York Times (Feb 19, 2012)

36.

affect have an influence upon

The central bank will start distributing low-interest loans in early March to individuals and smalland medium-sized companies affected by the flooding. — BusinessWeek (Feb 19, 2012)

37.

institute set up or lay the groundwork for

Corporations have to be more and more focused on institutinghigher labor standards. — Washington Post (Feb 7, 2012)

38.

render give an interpretation of

But authorities had rendered the weapon and the explosive device inoperable, officials said. — Chicago Tribune (Feb 17, 2012)

39.

appeal be attractive to

To get traditional women’s accessories to appeal to men, some designers are giving them manly names and styles. — New York Times (Feb 19, 2012)

40.

generate bring into existence

Qualities such as these are not generated under bad working practices of any sort. — Hungerford, Edward

41.

theory a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the world

Testing that theory begins Saturday night, as the Capitals take on Tampa Bay in another important contest. — Washington Post (Feb 18, 2012)

42.

range a variety of different things or activities

Like American community colleges, admission at an open university is not competitive, but the schools offer a range of programs, including doctoral degrees. — Time (Feb 19, 2012)

43.

campaign a race between candidates for elective office

At the same point in 2004 — as an incumbent facing re-election — Mr. Bush had taken in about $145.6 million for his campaign. — New York Times (Feb 18, 2012)

44.

league an association of sports teams that organizes matches

"When I broke into the big leagues until a month ago, Gary kept in touch," Mets third baseman David Wright said. — Seattle Times (Feb 17, 2012)

45.

labor any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted

More labor is entailed, more time is required, greater delay is occasioned in cleaning up, and the amount of water used is much greater. — Hoskin, Arthur J.

46.

confer have a meeting in order to talk something over

Ms. Stewart said Mrs. Bachmann conferred with her family and a few aides after her disappointing showing on Tuesday evening. — New York Times (Jan 4, 2012)

47.

grant allow to have

He had been granted entry into the White House only for the daily briefing, later that afternoon. — New York Times (Feb 17, 2012)

48.

dwell think moodily or anxiously about something

But it is hardly necessary to dwell on so normal an event. — Vinogradoff, Paul

49.

entertain provide amusement for

The first Super Bowl in 1967 featured college marching bandsentertaining the crowds at halftime. — Reuters (Feb 6, 2012)

50.

contract a binding agreement that is enforceable by law

Contracts with utilities will be signed starting next month, he said. — BusinessWeek (Feb 16, 2012)

51.

earnest characterized by a firm, humorless belief in one's opinions

Too much praise cannot be given to the earnest and efficient missionaries who founded and have maintained this mission. — Miller, George A.

52.

yield give or supply

It is a very important honey plant, as it yields an exceptionally pure nectar and remains in bloom a long time. — Parsons, Mary Elizabeth

53.

wander to move or cause to move in a sinuous or circular course

While each animal wandered through the maze, its brain was working furiously. — New York Times (Feb 16, 2012)

54.

insist be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge

Interior Department officials insisted that they had conducted an extensive scientific inquiry before moving ahead with the spill response plan. — New York Times (Feb 17, 2012)

55.

knight a person of noble birth trained to arms and chivalry

The knight was gallant not only in war, but in love also. — Crothers, Samuel McChord

56.

convince make realize the truth or validity of something

But though he listened he was not convinced. — Reade, Charles

57.

inspire serve as the inciting cause of

His surprising performance inspired an outpouring of fan adoration that has been dubbed "Linsanity." — Chicago Tribune (Feb 19, 2012)

58.

convention a large formal assembly

Last year, the industry’s main trade convention, the Inside Self-Storage World Expo, organized workshops in Las Vegas focusing on lien laws and auction sales. — New York Times (Feb 17, 2012)

59.

skill an ability that has been acquired by training

He says many new drivers are terrified of motorway driving because they do not have the skills or confidence needed. — BBC (Feb 20, 2012)

60.

harry annoy continually or chronically

There’s something uplifting about hearing a string instrument when I’m feeling ragged or harried. — New York Times (Feb 9, 2012)

61.

financial involving fiscal matters

Meanwhile, universities have raised tuition every year, putting many students in a financial bind. — New York Times (Feb 20, 2012)

62.

reflect show an image of

Teens ranting over chores and whatnot can often reflect deeper feelings of alienation or perceived uncaring on the part of parents. — Time (Feb 17, 2012)

63.

novel an extended fictional work in prose

Before Robert Barr publishes a novel he spends years in thinking the thing out. — Anonymous

64.

furnish provide or equip with furniture

Instead, according to court documents, the money went towardfurnishing mansions, flying in private jets, and retaining a $120,000-a-year personal hairstylist. — BusinessWeek (Feb 1, 2012)

65.

compel force somebody to do something

But the flames grew too large, compelling firefighters to call off the rescue. — New York Times (Feb 18, 2012)

66.

venture proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers

Clearly he would not venture to descend while his enemy moved. — Strang, Herbert

67.

territory the geographical area under the jurisdiction of a state

On Friday, West Africa regional group Ecowas condemned the rebels, urging them to end hostilities and surrender all occupied territory. — BBC (Feb 18, 2012)

68.

temper a characteristic state of feeling

Oscar Wilde, to do him justice, bore this sort of rebuff with astonishing good temper and sweetness. — Anonymous

69.

bent fixed in your purpose

The business-oriented constituency of the Republican Party, Jacobs said, has been weakened by a faction bent on lowering taxes and cutting spending. — BusinessWeek (Feb 17, 2012)

70.

intimate marked by close acquaintance, association, or familiarity

The female spider can choose when to cut off intimate relations by eating her partner, or kicking him out. — Scientific American (Jan 31, 2012)

71.

undertake enter upon an activity or enterprise

An autopsy has reportedly been undertaken but the results are not expected for several weeks. — The Guardian (Feb 13, 2012)

72.

majority more than half of the votes in an election

Republicans need just four seats in the Senate to take control as themajority party. — Reuters (Feb 7, 2012)

73.

assert to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true

In your talk you asserted the pill's risks of blood clotting, lung artery blockage, heart attack and stroke are minimal. — Science Magazine (Feb 18, 2012)

74.

crew the men and women who man a vehicle

Several pilots and crew members would have to escape at once, while safety divers watched, ready to rescue anyone who became stuck. — New York Times (Feb 6, 2012)

75.

chamber a natural or artificial enclosed space

"Today," said the old man, "you must push through with me into my most solitary chamber, that we may not be disturbed." — Carlyle, Thomas

76.

humble marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful

“Challenging yourself, playing up against stronger, tougher, and overall better competition will keep you humble.” — Washington Post (Jan 17, 2012)

77.

scheme an elaborate and systematic plan of action

Some companies in the Globe District of Arizona have started extensive underground schemes for mining large tonnages very cheaply by "caving" methods. — Hoskin, Arthur J.

78.

keen demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions

Not one of his movements escaped her keen observation; she drank in every shiver. — Wingfield, Lewis

79.

liberal having political views favoring reform and progress

Romney’s actually done well in open primaries where fiscally conservative yet socially liberal independents have backed him over his opponents. — Time (Feb 14, 2012)

80.

despair a state in which all hope is lost or absent

There were wounded love, and wounded pride, and despair, and coming madness, all in that piteous cry. — Reade, Charles

81.

tide the periodic rise and fall of the sea level

In the case of mobile connectivity, a rising tide does not lift all boats. — Slate (Feb 9, 2012)

82.

attitude a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings

"Behaviours have changed and attitudes have changed," Mr Taylor said. — BBC (Feb 16, 2012)

83.

justify show to be reasonable or provide adequate ground for

He felt sure that if the circumstances justified it, the necessary proceedings could be taken.” — Anonymous

84.

flag a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning and ordered flags flown at half staff. — New York Times (Feb 16, 2012)

85.

merit any admirable quality or attribute

Thus far in our inquiry extraordinary merits have been offset by extraordinary defects. — Ayres, Harry Morgan

86.

manifest reveal its presence or make an appearance

A too rapid transformation of existing conditions might very easily lead to an economic crisis, symptoms of which are already beginning tomanifest themselves. — Vay, P?ter

87.

notion a general inclusive concept

Does that old notion that defense wins championships still hold up these days? — Seattle Times (Jan 13, 2012)

88.

scale relative magnitude

And there might not be much money, so fashion shows are done on a much smaller scale. — Seattle Times (Feb 17, 2012)

formal

89.

characteristic of or befitting a person in authority A formal decision to call off the search is likely on Wednesday, rescue officials said. — New York Times (Jan 31, 2012)

resource

90.

a new or reserve supply that can be drawn upon when needed “Economists assume that, under normal conditions, markets will allocate resources efficiently,” he added. — BusinessWeek (Feb 17, 2012)

91.

persist continue to exist

Old ideas, long after the conditions under which they were produced have passed away, often persist in surviving. — Ingersoll, Robert Green

92.

contempt lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike

And with his backhanded contempt for all things ordinary, Blake is making some of the catchiest, most difficult music in recent memory. — Time (Dec 20, 2011)

93.

tour a route all the way around a particular place or area

He typed in “South Park” and took senior executives on a tour of Web sites offering pirated episodes. — New York Times (Feb 8, 2012)

94.

plead enter a defendant's answer

Aria pleaded not guilty, but he acknowledged that he had violated some laws. — New York Times (Feb 18, 2012)

95.

weigh to be oppressive or burdensome

So far, the political turmoil has not appeared to have discouraged visitors, but prolonged strife could weigh on tourism. — New York Times (Feb 11, 2012)

96.

mode how something is done or how it happens

Speaking of science, he says, in language far in advance of his times: ‘There are two modes of knowing—by argument and by experiment. — Adams, W. H. Davenport (William Henry Davenport)

distinction

97.

a discrimination between things as different But such a distinction is quite external; at heart the men may be very much alike. — Anonymous

inclined

98.

at an angle to the horizontal or vertical position Such an inclined passage following a seam of coal is known as a slope. — Hoskin, Arthur J.

attribute

99.

an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of an entity The authors found that when the available prospects varied more inattributes such as age, height, occupation and educational background, people made fewer dating proposals. — Scientific American (Feb 13, 2012)

100.

exert

make a great effort at a mental or physical task

School boards may come to exert even greater influence over what students read. — Forbes (Jan 23, 2012)

101.

oppress

come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority Those who managed to survive were later oppressed by Poland's post-war communist authorities. — Reuters (Jan 18, 2012)

102.

contend

compete for something But eight men, however bold and stout-hearted, could not longcontend with an enemy at least four times their number. — Strang, Herbert

103.

stake

a strong wooden or metal post driven into the ground His remains were buried in Cannon Street, and a stake was driven through the body. — Andrews, William

104.

toil

work hard

He toiled in the sweat of his brow, tilling the stubborn ground, taking out stones, building fences. — Adler, Felix

105.

perish

pass from physical life Simon Wiesenthal's parents are long since deceased, with his father dying in World War I and his mother perishing in the Holocaust. — BBC (Feb 14, 2012)

106.

disposition

your usual mood Melancholia — the state of mind — can hide behind seemingly sunnydispositions. — Seattle Times (Dec 28, 2011)

107.

rail

complain bitterly Mr. Gray railed against lengthy stage directions, saying he crossed them out in scripts before he would begin rehearsals with his actors. — New York Times (Feb 7, 2012)

108.

cardinal

one of a group of prominent bishops in the Sacred College

Each time he names cardinals he puts his stamp on Roman Catholicism's future by choosing men who share his views. — Chicago Tribune (Feb 18, 2012)

109.

boast

show off Mr. Estes was also well connected politically, boasting that the president of the United States took his calls. — New York Times (Dec 10, 2011)

110.

advocate

a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea Well, safety advocates, consumers and the government dragged the automobile industry toward including seat belts, air bags, more visible taillights and other safety features. — New York Times (Feb 19, 2012)

111.

bestow

present He bestowed public buildings and river improvements in return for votes. — Gilbert, Clinton W. (Clinton Wallace)

112.

allege

report or maintain

It is being fired into enclosed areas and homes, the human rights group alleges. — BBC (Feb 7, 2012)

113.

notwithstanding

despite anything to the contrary He seems to have taken things easily enough, notwithstanding the sorrow and suffering that surrounded him on every side. — Adams, W. H. Davenport (William Henry Davenport)

114.

lofty

of imposing height; especially standing out above others He found himself in an enormous hall with a lofty ceiling. — Blasco Ib??ez, Vicente

115.

multitude

a large indefinite number Department store chains in general have been strained in recent years as a " multitude" of alternatives has emerged, all competing for customers. — Chicago Tribune (Dec 28, 2011)

116.

steep

having a sharp inclination

It was narrow and very steep, and had precipices in all parts, so that they could not mount upward except one at a time. — Various

117.

heed

pay close attention to But Cain was already too far gone to heed the warning voice. — Adler, Felix

118.

modest

not large but sufficient in size or amount A healthy person living in an unfashionable city with no student loans to pay off can get by on a fairly modest income. — Slate (Feb 17, 2012)

119.

partial

being or affecting only a segment Generalizations of this sweeping order are apt to contain only partialtruth. — Clarke, Helen Archibald

120.

apt

naturally disposed toward

Another reason to display beds at an electronics show: consumers areapt to use high-tech devices while tucked in. — New York Times (Jan 9, 2012)

121.

esteem

the condition of being honored Despite being held in the highest esteem by his fellow poets, Redgrove never quite achieved the critical reception or readership he deserved. — The Guardian (Feb 10, 2012)

122.

credible

appearing to merit belief or acceptance Mike Mullen, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has acknowledged receiving the memo but said he ignored it as notcredible. — New York Times (Dec 19, 2011)

123.

provoke

provide the needed stimulus for It provoked a bigger reaction than we could ever have anticipated. — The Guardian (Feb 10, 2012)

124.

tread

a step in walking or running

The farmer went down, his clumsy boots making no sound on the uncarpeted stairway, so careful was his tread. — Woolson, Constance Fenimore

125.

ascertain

learn or discover with confidence Health care providers and manufacturers can ascertain alternative treatment more effectively by tackling predicted drug shortage incidences early in the process. — Forbes (Feb 13, 2012)

126.

fare

proceed or get along A recent study breaks down how graduates with various college degrees are faring in today’s difficult job market. — Washington Post (Feb 17, 2012)

127.

cede

relinquish possession or control over Some militia chiefs say they will only cede command of their fighters once an organized military and security apparatus is in place. — Reuters (Jan 3, 2012)

128.

perpetual

continuing forever or indefinitely The river is a perpetual enjoyment, always something going on. — Waddington, Mary King

129.

decree

a legally binding command or decision While the decree takes effect immediately, it requires Parliament’s approval within 60 days to remain in force. — BusinessWeek (Jan 28, 2012)

130.

contrive

make or work out a plan for; devise The wily Roc, never taken much by surprise, contrived to escape, but old Tributor and his men were all captured. — Thornbury, Walter

131.

derived

formed or developed from something else; not original Modern kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and kohlrabi are all members of the same species, derived from a single prehistoric plant variety. — Slate (Feb 21, 2012)

132.

elaborate

marked by complexity and richness of detail But the tobacco industry and owners of other convenience stores say tribal cigarette manufacturing is just an elaborate form of tax evasion. — New York Times (Feb 22, 2012)

133.

substantial

capable of being treated as fact Defence lawyers said the large number of forensic tests which had been carried out had failed to find any substantial evidence linked to the accused. — BBC (Feb 23, 2012)

134.

frontier

a wilderness at the edge of a settled area of a country Adding to the precarious security situation, tribesmen kidnapped 18 Egyptian border guards along the frontier with Israel in Sinai Peninsula. — New York Times (Feb 9, 2012)

135.

facile

arrived at without due care or effort; lacking depth As one teacher remarks about a troubled student, “There is no facilesolution.” — New York Times (Oct 11, 2011)

136.

cite

make reference to The Federal Reserve has pledged low interest rates until late 2014,citing in part the weakness of the job market. — BusinessWeek (Feb 21, 2012)

137.

warrant

show to be reasonable or provide adequate ground for In the United Kingdom and Europe the devices are not used unless the need is warranted by the patient's medical condition. — US News (Jan 17, 2012)

138.

sob

weep convulsively He cried and trembled, sobbing, while they spoke, like the child he was. — Weyman, Stanley J.

139.

rider

a traveler who actively sits and travels on an animal In horseback riding, a rider will give commands by squeezing or lengthening the reins and altering the position of his legs. — Time (Jan 5, 2012)

140.

dense

permitting little if any light to pass through Dense black smoke rose in the distance as demonstrators burned tires in Shiite villages. — BusinessWeek (Feb 14, 2012)

141.

afflict

cause physical pain or suffering in Melanoma globally afflicts nearly 160,000 new people each year. — Reuters (Dec 16, 2011)

142.

flourish

grow vigorously His business had been all along steadily flourishing, his patrons had been of high social position, some most illustrious, others actually royal. — Petherick, Horace William

143.

ordain

invest with ministerial or priestly authority One of the present bishops was consecrated when quite a young boy, and deacons are often ordained at sixteen, and even much earlier. — Bird, Isabella L. (Isabella Lucy)

144.

pious

having or showing or expressing reverence for a deity Mother, you see, is a very pious woman, and she attributes it all to Providence, saying that it was the Divine interference in her behalf. — Various

145.

vex

disturb, especially by minor irritations There are vexing problems slowing the growth and the practical implementation of big data technologies. — Forbes (Oct 21, 2011)

146.

gravity

the force of attraction between all masses in the universe Once captured, the combined object will have a new center of gravityand may be spinning in an uncontrolled way. — Science Magazine (Feb 15, 2012)

147.

suspended

supported or kept from sinking or falling by buoyancy Frustrating enough at ground level, but can you imagine the agony about a stranded, ever-soggier Oreo being suspended 11 feet above the ground? — Washington Post (Feb 21, 2012)

148.

conspicuous

obvious to the eye or mind Its bright scarlet fruits are conspicuous in late autumn. — Anonymous

149.

retort

a quick reply to a question or remark Having put him in ill humour with this retort, she fled away rejoicing. — Coster, Charles Th?odore Henri de

150.

jet

an airplane powered by gas turbines Typhoon fighter jets, helicopters, two warships and bomb disposal experts will also be on duty to guard against security threats. — Seattle Times (Feb 20, 2012)

151.

bolt

run away The blare of bugles was heard, and a few seconds afterwards Jackson, still facing the enemy, shouted: "By Jupiter, they're bolting, sir." — Strang, Herbert

152.

assent

to agree or express agreement His two companions readily assented, and the promise was mutually given and received. — Keightley, Thomas

153.

purse

a sum spoken of as the contents of a money container She watched over her husband, kept his accounts, held the familypurse, managed all his affairs. — Shorter, Clement K.

154.

plus

the arithmetic operation of summing The survey’s margin of error was plus or minus four percentage points. — BusinessWeek (Dec 29, 2011)

155.

sanction

give authority or permission to The Securities and Exchange Commission said last year it hadsanctioned 39 senior officers for conduct related to the housing market meltdown. — BusinessWeek (Feb 19, 2012)

156.

proceeding

a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked Chu attended the special court-martial proceeding on Monday in Hawaii, Hill said. — Reuters (Jan 30, 2012)

157.

exalt

praise, glorify, or honor Some exalt themselves by anonymously posting their own laudatory reviews. — New York Times (Jan 26, 2012)

158.

siege

an action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place Rebellion broke out, and finally the aged Caliph, after enduring a siegeof several weeks, was murdered in his own house. — Nicholson, Reynold

159.

malice

feeling a need to see others suffer He viewed the moths with malice, their fluttering wings fanning his resentment. — Lyman, Olin L.

160.

extravagant

recklessly wasteful Advisers say new millionaires are prone to mistakes, like makingextravagant purchases or risky deals with friends. — Reuters (Feb 2, 2012)

161.

wax

increase in phase Carols had existed for centuries, though their popularity waxed and waned as different governments and religious movements periodically declared them sinful. — Time (Dec 12, 2011)

162.

throng

press tightly together or cram Deafening cheers rent the air as he landed; hundreds throngedaround him to clasp his hand. — Strang, Herbert

163.

venerate

regard with feelings of respect and reverence He venerated me like a being descended from an upper world. — Blasco Ib??ez, Vicente

164.

assail

attack someone physically or emotionally His campaign even issued a press release assailing other rivals for, in Mr. Paul’s view, taking Mr. Romney’s quote about firing people out of context. — New York Times (Feb 16, 2012)

165.

sublime

of high moral or intellectual value He was uneven, disproportioned, saying ordinary things on great occasions, and now and then, without the slightest provocation, uttering the sublimest and most beautiful thoughts. — Ingersoll, Robert Green

166.

exploit

draw from; make good use of As humans increasingly exploit the deep seas for fish, oil and mining, understanding how species are dispersed is crucial, Copley said. — Scientific American (Jan 3, 2012)

167.

exertion

use of physical or mental energy; hard work One day overcome by exertion, she fainted in the street. — Ingersoll, Robert Green

168.

kindle

catch fire Then a match was kindled and fire applied. — Warner, Susan

169.

endow

furnish with a capital fund The grammar school here, founded in 1533, is liberally endowed, with scholarships and exhibitions. — Various

170.

imposed

set forth authoritatively as obligatory The Arab League has already suspended Syria and imposed economic sanctions. — BusinessWeek (Feb 22, 2012)

171.

humiliate

cause to feel shame The letter claims pensioners are too often patronised, humiliated, denied privacy or even medical treatment. — BBC (Feb 22, 2012)

172.

suffrage

a legal right to vote There has been a great deal said in this country of late in regard to giving the right of suffrage to women. — Ingersoll, Robert Green

173.

ensue

issue or terminate in a specified way An uproar ensued months after the approval, when opponents realized the online gambling measure had been slipped in. — New York Times (Feb 16, 2012)

174.

brook

a natural stream of water smaller than a river He walked across the little bridge over the brook and at once his mood changed. — Mason, A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley)

175.

gale

a strong wind moving 45-90 knots The gale was accompanied, as usual, by incessant rain and thick weather, and a heavy confused sea kept our decks always flooded. — Fitzroy, Robert

176.

muse

reflect deeply on a subject Musing about the Big Picture may be a lot more gratifying than focusing on the details of the specific policies that aren’t working. — Time (Jan 24, 2012)

177.

satire

witty language used to convey insults or scorn There’s plenty of humor on Russian television, though not much political satire; Mr. Putin put a stop to that long ago. — New York Times (Feb 13, 2012)

178.

intrigue

cause to be interested or curious Designing and building models that intrigue and educate without overwhelming has been challenging. — Science Magazine (Nov 24, 2011)

179.

indication

something that serves to suggest

Authorities said an autopsy found no indications of foul play or obvious signs of trauma on Houston. — Seattle Times (Feb 15, 2012)

180.

dispatch

send away towards a designated goal More than one assassin was dispatched by the Turkish authorities to murder Napoleon. — Various

181.

cower

crouch or curl up The knaves lowered their weapons and shrank back cowering before him. — Weyman, Stanley J.

182.

wont

an established custom He made his customary slick feeds to open teammates, but as is theirwont, the Nets struggled at times to convert points on his passes. — New York Times (Feb 20, 2012)

183.

tract

a system of body parts that serve some particular purpose

When probiotics flourish in the digestive tract, nutrients are better absorbed and bad bugs are held at bay, research suggests. — Seattle Times (Jan 10, 2012)

184.

canon

a collection of books accepted as holy scripture For me, all novels of any consequence are literary, and they take their place, high and low, in the canon of English literature. — The Guardian (Jan 10, 2011)

185.

impel

cause to move forward with force Some power beyond his comprehension was impelling him toward the neighboring city. — Blasco Ib??ez, Vicente

186.

latitude

freedom from normal restraints in conduct Great employees often get more latitude to bring up controversial subjects in a group setting because their performance allows greater freedom. — Inc (Feb 21, 2012)

187.

vacate

leave behind empty; move out of

Their number diminished sharply after Villaraigosa announced last week that he wanted protesters to vacate the grounds by Monday or be forcibly removed. — Chicago Tribune (Nov 30, 2011)

188.

undertaking

any piece of work that is attempted "Let my epitaph be, Here lies Joseph, who was unsuccessful in all hisundertakings." — Marvin, Frederic Rowland

189.

slay

kill intentionally and with premeditation "It were shame," said Lancelot, "for an armed to slay an unarmed man." — Unknown

190.

predecessor

one who precedes you in time Heller fills in the blanks about Taft, overshadowed by colorfulpredecessor Teddy Roosevelt. — Seattle Times (Feb 22, 2012)

191.

delicacy

the quality of being exquisitely fine in appearance

This refinement appears in his works, which are full of artistic grace and dainty delicacy. — Drake, Samuel Adams

192.

forsake

leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch "I'm surprised," said Philip, cautiously opening fire, "that you were ever allowed to forsake your native land." — Hay, Ian

193.

beseech

ask for or request earnestly Utterly distraught, he ran up and down the bank, hunting for his clothes, calling, crying out, imploring, beseeching help from somewhere. — Frank, Ulrich

194.

philosophical

relating to the investigation of existence and knowledge His arguments, like Einstein’s, were qualitative, verging on highlyphilosophical. — Scientific American (Jan 30, 2012)

195.

grove

a small growth of trees without underbrush

Soon after we came to Pasadena, father bought an orange grove of twenty-five acres. — Chamberlain, James Franklin

196.

frustrate

hinder or prevent, as an effort, plan, or desire Frustrated after two years of missed budget targets, finance chiefs demanded Greek officials put their verbal commitments into law. — BusinessWeek (Feb 13, 2012)

197.

illustrious

widely known and esteemed She will be joining an illustrious list of recipients that include Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II and Princess Diana. — BBC (Feb 24, 2012)

198.

device

an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose You’ve probably also noticed that the telephone and computer are no longer the only devices on your employees’ desks. — Forbes (Feb 26, 2012)

199.

pomp

cheap or pretentious or vain display

Throughout U.S. history, Americans have been fascinated by royalpomp -- even on a movie screen. — Reuters (Feb 21, 2011)

200.

entreat

ask for or request earnestly "Let me go now, please," she entreated, her eyes unable to meet his any longer. — Hope, Anthony

201.

impart

transmit, as knowledge or a skill Long before writing and books were in common use, proverbs were the principal means of imparting instruction. — Preston, Thomas

202.

propriety

correct behavior I felt a trifle doubtful about the propriety of taking a short cut across private grounds, and said as much. — Sutphen, Van Tassel

203.

consecrate

render holy by means of religious rites

The building was consecrated as a Protestant Episcopal church in May, 1814. — Faris, John T. (John Thomson)

204.

proceeds

the income or profit arising from a transaction His own share in the proceeds was about a hundred thousand dollars. — Stark, James H.

205.

fathom

come to understand But after flying for so many years, the idea of hanging up his sparkling wings is hard for him to fathom. — New York Times (Mar 17, 2012)

206.

objective

the goal intended to be attained The objective was to mobilize students from 18 high schools across the city to provide community services and inspire others. — New York Times (Feb 5, 2012)

207.

clad

wearing or provided with clothing

A few of the villagers came behind, clad in mourning robes, and bearing lighted tapers. — Various

208.

partisan

devoted to a cause or party But given the bitter partisan divide in an election year, Democrats said they would never be able to get such legislation passed. — Chicago Tribune (Mar 30, 2012)

209.

faction

a dissenting clique One faction declared it would begin an armed struggle against the government of the United States. — Slate (Feb 29, 2012)

210.

contrived

artificially formal In lesser hands the story about a young man who discovers life among the dead could be impossibly cute and contrived. — New York Times (Mar 25, 2012)

211.

venerable

impressive by reason of age

Thus, after much more than two hundred years, the venerablebuilding looks almost as it did when the first students entered its doors. — Faris, John T. (John Thomson)

212.

restrained

not showy or obtrusive By contrast, Mr. Pei’s restrained design took time to claim my attention, particularly since it sat quietly next door to Saarinen’s concrete gull wings. — New York Times (Oct 6, 2011)

213.

besiege

harass, as with questions or requests He can’t trot down the street without being besieged by paparazzi. — New York Times (Mar 18, 2012)

214.

manifestation

a clear appearance Singing and dancing are manifestations of what many Syrians describe as a much broader cultural flowering. — New York Times (Dec 19, 2011)

215.

rebuke

an act or expression of criticism and censure

Afterward, the leaders fought court orders to release records showing what they had done, drawing an uncommonly sharp rebuke from a federal judge. — Washington Post (Mar 14, 2012)

216.

insurgent

in opposition to a civil authority or government The Free Syrian Army, an insurgent group made of defecting soldiers and based in southern Turkey, claimed responsibility for both attacks. — New York Times (Nov 20, 2011)

217.

rhetoric

using language effectively to please or persuade His fiery rhetoric in support of limiting cuts to projected defense spending has surprised and impressed some of Obama's toughest Republican critics. — Reuters (Jan 5, 2012)

218.

scrupulous

having ethical or moral principles The reason is that the vast majority of businesses are scrupulous and treat their employees well. — The Guardian (Jun 4, 2010)

219.

ratify

approve and express assent, responsibility, or obligation

Company officials at Safeway said those replacement workers will remain on standby until the agreement is ratified by union members. — Washington Post (Mar 29, 2012)

220.

stump

cause to be perplexed or confounded Though family members long suspected Evans, a local handyman who frequently hired local youths, the case stumped investigators for years. — Washington Post (Aug 30, 2011)

221.

discreet

marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint Sarkozy has attempted to tone down his image, becoming morediscreet about his private life. — BusinessWeek (Feb 8, 2012)

222.

imposing

impressive in appearance These buildings were grand and stylized with intricate details and a bit of an imposing presence. — Scientific American (Mar 5, 2012)

223.

wistful

showing pensive sadness

She turned toward him, her face troubled, her eyes most wistful. — Mason, A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley)

224.

mortify

cause to feel shame Intensely mortified at this humiliation, the king fell sick, and henceforth his health failed rapidly. — Various

225.

ripple

stir up so as to form small waves That could precipitate higher interest rates that would ripple across the economy. — Washington Post (Jul 27, 2011)

226.

premise

a statement that is held to be true Success, real success, comes to the jack of all trades, a major premisehanded down from pioneer days. — Gilbert, Clinton W. (Clinton Wallace)

227.

subside

wear off or die down

Affliction is allayed, grief subsides, sorrow is soothed, distress is mitigated. — Webster, Noah

228.

adverse

contrary to your interests or welfare High doses can have adverse effects and even cause death. — Seattle Times (Mar 26, 2012)

229.

caprice

a sudden desire Nobody is really in charge, and decisions are made on whim andcaprice.” — New York Times (Apr 10, 2011)

230.

muster

gather or bring together Yet Fox needed all the strength that he could muster. — Rosebery, Archibald Phillip Primrose

231.

comprehensive

broad in scope

The United States Army developed a comprehensive plan to address problematic race relations in the 1970s, recognizing that they were hampering military effectiveness. — New York Times (Feb 6, 2012)

232.

accede

yield to another's wish or opinion Therefore he made up his mind to accede to his uncle's desire. — Streckfuss, Adolph

233.

fervent

characterized by intense emotion But, to fervent applause and scattered fist pumps from two sets of worshipers, he pledged to legally challenge the claims against him. — New York Times (Sep 26, 2010)

234.

cohere

cause to form a united, orderly, and consistent whole Two antagonistic values may cohere in the same object. — Anderson, Benjamin M. (Benjamin McAlester)

235.

tribunal

an assembly to conduct judicial business

The military has historically been protected from civilian courts, with any crimes committed by soldiers being decided in closed militarytribunals. — Wall Street Journal (Feb 15, 2012)

236.

austere

severely simple A certain austere simplicity was noticeable all over Longfellow's house. — Anonymous

237.

recovering

returning to health after illness or debility “The recovering economy is bringing more people back into the market. — Washington Post (Mar 22, 2012)

238.

stratum

people having the same social or economic status She belonged to the upper stratum of the profession, and, knowing it, could not sink. — George, Walter Lionel

239.

conscientious

characterized by extreme care and great effort

A conscientious hostess would be very much mortified if she served chicken out of its proper course. — Reed, Myrtle

240.

arbitrary

based on or subject to individual discretion or preference Sandra Nurse, a member of Occupy's direct action working group, said police treated demonstrators roughly and made arbitrary arrests. — Time (Mar 18, 2012)

241.

exasperate

irritate Shopkeepers, exasperated at the impact of higher taxes and reduced consumer spending, are planning to close down for the day. — New York Times (Feb 7, 2012)

242.

conjure

summon into action or bring into existence Vacation homes typically conjure up dreams of blue skies, pristine sand and crystalline waters. — Wall Street Journal (Feb 28, 2012)

243.

ominous

threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments

The Count's words were so ominous, so full of sinister meaning that for the moment he felt like crying out with fear. — Hocking, Joseph

244.

edifice

a structure that has a roof and walls They are here erecting a fine stone edifice for an Episcopal Church. — Clark, John A.

245.

elude

escape, either physically or mentally But despite racking up world titles, Olympic gold was eluding him. — The Guardian (Feb 10, 2012)

246.

pervade

spread or diffuse through An air of intense anticipation pervaded the General’s dining room. — Burnett, Carolyn Judson

247.

foster

promote the growth of

Mr. Horne accused the district’s Mexican-American studies program of using an antiwhite curriculum to foster social activism. — New York Times (Mar 19, 2012)

248.

admonish

take to task "Children, children, stop quarrelling, right here in public!"admonished Mrs. Dering, in a low, shocked tone. — Perry, Nora

249.

repeal

cancel officially If Republicans repeal the law, Ms. Schakowsky said, they would be “taking away benefits that seniors are already getting.” — New York Times (Mar 19, 2012)

250.

retiring

not arrogant or presuming Foster was an extremely modest, unworldly, retiring gentleman. — Rosenbach, A. S. W.

251.

incidental

not of prime or central importance

The models themselves are incidental on “Scouted,” merely empty planets around which revolve some fascinating characters and plenty more dull ones. — New York Times (Nov 27, 2011)

252.

acquiesce

to agree or express agreement American officials initially tried to resist President Karzai’s moves but eventually acquiesced. — New York Times (Mar 9, 2012)

253.

slew

a large number or amount or extent In fact, intense focus may be one reason why so-called savants become so extraordinary at performing extensive calculations or remembering a slew of facts. — Scientific American (Mar 3, 2012)

254.

usurp

seize and take control without authority More than anything, though, officials expressed concern about reigniting longstanding Mexican concerns about the United States’usurping Mexico’s authority. — New York Times (Mar 15, 2011)

255.

sentinel

a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event

The prisoners undressed themselves as usual, and went to bed, observed by the sentinel. — Drake, Samuel Adams

256.

precision

the quality of being reproducible in amount or performance At this time, home ranges of small rodents can not be measured with great precision, therefore any such calculations are, at best, only approximations. — Douglas, Charles L.

257.

depose

force to leave an office Late Wednesday, Mr. Touré, the deposed president, spoke out from hiding for the first time. — New York Times (Mar 30, 2012)

258.

wanton

occurring without motivation or provocation I am not a sentimentalist by any means, yet I abominate wantoncruelty. — Stables, Gordon

259.

odium

state of disgrace resulting from detestable behavior

This was one of the men who bring odium on the whole class of prisoners, and prejudice society against them. — Henderson, Frank

260.

precept

rule of personal conduct The law of nature has but one precept, "Be strong." — Williams, C. M.

261.

deference

a courteous expression of esteem or regard Other rules, as indicated in Mr. Collins' book, concerned deportment, and demanded constant deference to superiors. — Faris, John T. (John Thomson)

262.

fray

a noisy fight Armed rebels have joined the fray in recent months. — Reuters (Jan 27, 2012)

263.

candid

openly straightforward and direct without secretiveness

The actor was candid about his own difficult childhood growing up with alcoholic parents. — Seattle Times (Feb 17, 2012)

264.

enduring

unceasing What makes the galumphing hubby such an enduring stock character? — Slate (Mar 26, 2012)

265.

impertinent

improperly forward or bold Imagine calling a famous writer by his first name—it seemedimpertinent, to say the least. — Watkins, Shirley

266.

bland

lacking stimulating characteristics; uninteresting Many critics were less than enamored with the kind of “easy listening” Mr. Williams embodied, deriding his approach as bland and unchallenging. — New York Times (Oct 9, 2011)

267.

insinuate

give to understand

"Good heavens, do you mean to insinuate that I did anything crooked?" said Bojo loudly, yet at the bottom ill at ease. — Johnson, Owen

268.

nominal

insignificantly small; a matter of form only He sought nominal damages of one dollar from each defendant. — Reuters (Jan 23, 2012)

269.

suppliant

humbly entreating The colonists asked for nothing but what was clearly right and asked in the most respectful and even suppliant manner. — Judson, L. Carroll

270.

languid

lacking spirit or liveliness Many viewers, bored by the languid pace of the show, tuned out early. — New York Times (Dec 30, 2011)

271.

rave

praise enthusiastically

I have heard lots of women simply rave about him. — Kauffman, Reginald Wright

272.

monetary

relating to or involving money A hundred years ago, monetary policy – control over interest rates and the availability of credit – was viewed as a highly contentious political issue. — New York Times (Mar 29, 2012)

273.

headlong

in a hasty and foolhardy manner “They may not be wishing to rush headlong back into the same sort of risks just yet.” — BusinessWeek (Dec 24, 2010)

274.

infallible

incapable of failure or error But conductors are no more infallible than other people, and once in a blue moon in going through a train they miss a passenger. — Lynde, Francis

275.

coax

influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering

He used his most enticing manner and did his best to coax the little animal out again. — Kay, Ross

276.

explicate

elaborate, as of theories and hypotheses He urged judges to resist the rigid guidelines and to write opinionsexplicating their reasons for doing so. — New York Times (Jan 22, 2010)

277.

gaunt

very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold Gaunt, starved, and ragged, the men marched northwards, leaving the Touat country upon their left hand. — Mason, A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley)

278.

morbid

suggesting the horror of death and decay Earlier in the day, however, his demise was watched by spectators with a morbid fascination. — New York Times (Aug 16, 2010)

279.

ranging

wandering freely

His detective work is fascinating and wide ranging. — Seattle Times (Feb 1, 2012)

280.

pacify

cause to be more favorably inclined How they pacified him I don’t know, but at the end of two hours he had cooled off enough to let us go aboard. — Quincy, Samuel M.

281.

pastoral

idyllically rustic He made a considerable reputation as an accomplished painter of quiet pastoral subjects and carefully elaborated landscapes with cattle. — Various

282.

dogged

stubbornly unyielding Some analysts expect Mr. Falcone, who is known for his doggeddetermination, to just continue to limp along while slashing costs. — New York Times (Feb 15, 2012)

283.

ebb

fall away or decline

Although Gardner’s competitive appetite ebbed after 2004, other cravings did not. — New York Times (Jan 28, 2012)

284.

aide

someone who acts as assistant She later found work as a teacher’s aide in a Head Start program in Harlem. — New York Times (Jan 12, 2012)

285.

appease

cause to be more favorably inclined The king also has tried to appease public anger over corruption. — New York Times (Feb 9, 2012)

286.

stipulate

make an express demand or provision in an agreement The mayor has an executive order in place stipulating that all top officials, except those granted a waiver, live in the city. — New York Times (Sep 22, 2011)

287.

recourse

something or someone turned to for assistance or security

Bargain hunters and holiday shoppers are bad guys’ favorite targets and have little or no recourse when shoddy or fake merchandise arrives. — Forbes (Nov 22, 2011)

288.

constrained

lacking spontaneity; not natural All his goodness, however, will be of a forced, constrained, artificial, and at bottom unreal character. — Hyde, William De Witt

289.

bate

lessen the force of “You called her ‘an interfering, disagreeable old woman’!” whispered Bertha with bated breath, glancing half fearfully at the door as she spoke. — Vaizey, George de Horne, Mrs.

290.

aversion

a feeling of intense dislike Already my passive dislike had grown into an active aversion. — Oppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips)

291.

conceit

an artistic device or effect

An urban panorama is viewed from a high vantage point, a conceitused in topographic art to render vast perspectives. — New York Times (Sep 30, 2011)

292.

loath

strongly opposed Friends and political allies are loath to talk about her, knowing the family’s intense obsession with privacy. — New York Times (Aug 14, 2011)

293.

rampart

an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes The night was gloomy, dark, and wet; the soldiers, wearied with watching at the ramparts, dozed, leaning on their weapons. — Sienkiewicz, Henryk

294.

extort

obtain by coercion or intimidation The owners, in turn, have called the lawyers shakedown artists bent on ruining their good reputations to extort money. — New York Times (Jan 27, 2012)

295.

tarry

leave slowly and hesitantly For two days I tarried in Paris, settling my little property. — Ford, Paul Leicester

296.

perpetrate

perform an act, usually with a negative connotation Come on it’s just a cruel joke perpetrated by the airline industry.” — Forbes (Dec 11, 2011)

297.

decorum

propriety in manners and conduct Wishing to observe the rules of decorum she invited him to stay for supper, though absolutely nothing had been prepared for a guest. — Sudermann, Hermann

298.

luxuriant

produced or growing in extreme abundance Her luxuriant curly hair, restrained by no net, but held together simply by a flowering spray, waved over her shoulders in all its rich abundance. — Elisabeth Burstenbinder (AKA E. Werner)

299.

cant

insincere talk about religion or morals It was the familiar cant of the man rich enough to affect disdain for money, and Wade was not impressed. — Day, Holman

300.

enjoin

give instructions to or direct somebody to do something He turned to beckon the others forward with one hand, while laying the other over his mouth in a gesture enjoining silence. — Breckenridge, Gerald

301.

avarice

extreme greed for material wealth The old man's fears were assailed with threats, and his avarice was approached by bribes, and he very soon capitulated. — Abbott, John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot)

302.

edict

a formal or authoritative proclamation An edict was issued by him forbidding any Christian to give instruction in Greek literature under any circumstances. — Lightfoot, J. B.

303.

disconcert

cause to lose one's composure Perplexed and disconcerted, I found no words to answer such an amazing sally. — Chambers, Robert W. (Robert William)

304.

symmetry

balance among the parts of something Even the staging displays symmetry, with actors lined up on either side in formal precision. — New York Times (Jan 24, 2011)

305.

capitulate

surrender under agreed conditions "Alas, no," said Bergfeld, mournfully, "the day after the battle our brave soldiers were surrounded by overwhelming forces and obliged tocapitulate." — Meding, Johann Ferdinand Martin Oskar

306.

arbitrate

act between parties with a view to reconciling differences The Scottish throne was now disputed by many claimants, and the Scots asked Edward to arbitrate between them. — Various

307.

cleave

separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument Instead someone shouts "Go" and he is bearing down on me and almost cleaves my shield in two with his first blow. — BBC (Aug 7, 2011)

308.

append

add to the very end Some specimens will appear in the papers appended to this report. — Various

309.

visage

the human face An honest, quiet laugh often mantled his pale earnest visage. — Turnbull, Robert

310.

horde

a moving crowd Hordes of puzzled tourists, many with rolling suitcases attached, poured down the staircases. — New York Times (Jan 1, 2012)

311.

parable

a short moral story In most instances, I have closed my visits by reading some interesting story or parable. — Frothingham, Octavius Brooks

312.

chastise

censure severely She remembers an upsetting incident when a headmistress chastisedher for working too much. — The Guardian (Jan 14, 2011)

313.

foil

hinder or prevent, as an effort, plan, or desire On March 1st, a Turkish newspaper reported that the country's intelligence service had foiled an attempt by Syrian agents to kidnap the colonel. — Time (Mar 8, 2012)

314.

veritable

being truly so called; real or genuine The heavy rain had reduced this low-lying ground to a veritablequagmire, making progress very difficult even for one as unburdened as he was. — Putnam Weale, B. L. (Bertram Lenox)

315.

grapple

come to terms with But, he said, all coastal communities will have to grapple with rising seas. — New York Times (Mar 24, 2012)

316.

gentry

the most powerful members of a society The mode of travel of the gentry was riding horses, but most people traveled by walking. — Reilly, S. A.

317.

pall

a sudden numbing dread Residents who fled in recent days spoke of the smell of death and piles of garbage drifting like snowbanks, casting a pall over the city. — New York Times (Mar 7, 2012)

318.

maxim

a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits The maxim "All is fair in love and war" was applied literally. — Thomson, Basil

319.

projection

a prediction made by extrapolating from past observations Volume is down 25 percent from five years ago, and projections show even further declines, said Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe. — New York Times (Mar 22, 2012)

320.

prowess

a superior skill learned by study and practice While our engineering prowess has advanced a great deal over the past sixty years, the principles of innovation largely have not. — Time (Mar 21, 2012)

321.

dingy

thickly covered with ingrained dirt or soot Though composed amid the unromantic surroundings of a dingy, dusty, and neglected back room, the speech has become a memorable document. — Herndon, William H.

322.

semblance

an outward appearance that is deliberately misleading

He was perceptibly older, in the way in which people look older all at once after having long kept the semblance of youth. — King, Basil

323.

tout

advertize in strongly positive terms Testing is being touted as the means of making the U.S. education system competitive, even worldclass. — Washington Post (Mar 23, 2012)

324.

fortitude

strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity Leigh Hunt bore himself in his captivity with cheerful fortitude, suffering severely in health but flagging little in spirits or industry. — Colvin, Sidney

325.

asunder

into parts or pieces In 1854, as I have already remarked, Nicaragua was split asunder by civil war. — Powell, E. Alexander (Edward Alexander)

326.

rout

an overwhelming defeat

It's how Seattle won Sunday's game in Chicago, scoring 31 consecutive second-half points as an impressive comeback became an overwhelming rout. — Seattle Times (Dec 19, 2011)

327.

staid

characterized by dignity and propriety He was prim and staid and liked to do things in an orderly fashion. — Doyle, A. Conan

328.

beguile

influence by slyness I can no longer remain silent in the presence of the schemers who seek to beguile you. — Bolanden, Conrad von

329.

purport

have the often specious appearance of being or intending Of course, none of these purported medical benefits have any grounding in science. — Scientific American (Jan 28, 2012)

330.

deprave

corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality

The people who make up this typical Gorky offering are drunkards, thieves, depraved creatures of every kind. — Kilmer, Joyce

331.

bequeath

leave or give by will after one's death No matter how often she changed her will, she told me, that diamond pin was always bequeathed to me. — Wells, Carolyn

332.

enigma

something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained Tails are often an enigma; many creatures have them, but scientists know little about their function, particularly for extinct species. — Science Magazine (Jan 4, 2012)

333.

assiduous

marked by care and persistent effort He's an assiduous diary-keeper and regularly rereads ancient entries to check up on himself. — The Guardian (Jul 17, 2010)

334.

vassal

a person holding a fief

And what was of still greater importance, he could only obtain taxes and soldiers from among the vassals, by the consent of their feudal lords. — Freytag, Gustav

335.

quail

draw back, as with fear or pain He quailed before me, and forgetting his new part in old habits, muttered an apology. — Weyman, Stanley John

336.

outskirts

outlying areas, as of a city or town Ms. Waters talked about how she had spent the day at an organic farm on the outskirts of Beijing looking at vegetables for the dinner. — New York Times (Nov 14, 2011)

337.

bulwark

a protective structure of stone or concrete The cliffs are of imposing height, nearly three hundred feet: a formidable bulwark. — White, Walter

338.

swerve

an erratic deflection from an intended course

However, I was not going to swerve from my word. — Johnstone, James Johnstone, chevalier de

339.

gird

prepare oneself for a military confrontation Protesters are girding for another police raid as several City Council members have called on protesters to leave. — Washington Post (Nov 11, 2011)

340.

betrothed

pledged to be married We are not betrothed'—her eyes filled with tears,—'he can never marry me; and he and my father have quarrelled. — Fleming, George

341.

prospective

of or concerned with or related to the future Most prospective homesteaders make the same mistake I did in buying horses, unless they are experienced. — Micheaux, Oscar

342.

advert

make reference to

In the family circle it was rarely adverted to, and never except when some allusion to the approaching separation had to be made. — Werner, E. T. C. (Edward Theodore Chalmers)

343.

peremptory

not allowing contradiction or refusal This time it was not a request but a peremptory order to go at once to Cuba and undertake the work. — Johnson, Willis Fletcher

344.

rudiment

the elementary stage of any subject He retraced his steps, and came to Cape Girardeau, in Missouri, where he remained some time, acquiring the rudiments of the English language. — Anonymous

345.

deduce

reason from the general to the particular They then used models of global wind circulation to deduce which dust sources have become stronger and which weaker. — Economist (Jan 6, 2011)

346.

halting

fragmentary or broken from emotional strain “I so much love cricket,” he said, shyly, in halting English. — New York Times (Feb 22, 2012)

347.

ignominy

a state of dishonor After all, we love nothing better than seeing the powerful and formerly smug dragged across the front pages in ignominy. — Time (Jun 7, 2011)

348.

ideology

an orientation that characterizes the thinking of a group Bill O’Reilly and others picked up on the theme, summing up left-wingideology as “San Francisco values.” — Slate (Jan 19, 2012)

349.

pallid

lacking in vitality or interest or effectiveness But too often the music sounded thin and pallid. — New York Times (Apr 25, 2010)

350.

chagrin

strong feelings of embarrassment But he was feeling deeply chagrined and mortified over his last escapade. — White, Fred M. (Fred Merrick)

351.

obtrude

thrust oneself in as if by force She had no right to obtrude herself into his life and to disturb it. — Packard, Frank L. (Frank Lucius)

352.

audacious

disposed to venture or take risks In an audacious operation that unfolded like a Hollywood thriller, the Navy Seals executed a daring raid deep into Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden. — New York Times (Sep 4, 2011)

353.

construe

make sense of; assign a meaning to But nothing that was said Tuesday can be construed as good news. — Washington Post (Sep 14, 2011)

354.

ford

cross a river where it's shallow

Sometimes they drive their teams through unsettled country, without roads, swimming and fording streams, clearing away obstructions, and camping where night overtakes them. — Folsom, William Henry Carman

355.

repast

the food served and eaten at one time Fragrant coffee, light rolls, fresh butter, ham and eggs, fried crocuses and soft crabs, formed the repast. — Reid, Mayne

356.

stint

an unbroken period of time during which you do something He found his unionized warehouse job after a stint working for his father, an accountant. — New York Times (Mar 21, 2012)

357.

fresco

a mural done with watercolors on wet plaster The little church has an ancient fresco of St. Christopher, placed, as usual, opposite the entrance. — Conybeare, Edward

358.

dutiful

willingly obedient out of a sense of respect

Perhaps he thinks an engaged young lady should be demure anddutiful, having no eyes or ears for any one except her betrothed. — Harland, Marion

359.

hew

make or shape as with an axe They bought a log chain, and lumber for a door; the window frames were hewed from logs. — Daughters of the American Revolution. Nebraska

360.

parity

functional equality How many of the world’s problems would be solved, or at least greatly reduced, if women had true parity with men? — New York Times (Dec 15, 2011)

361.

affable

diffusing warmth and friendliness He was well liked and respected in these islands, for his affablemanners had obtained for him much popularity. — Various

362.

interminable

tiresomely long; seemingly without end

All was going well, but slowly, the time taken for the last few feet seeming to be interminable. — Cumberland, Barlow

363.

pillage

steal goods; take as spoils In addition great material losses were inflicted: seven hundred houses were destroyed, six hundred stores pillaged, and thousands of families utterly ruined. — Straus, Oscar S.

364.

foreboding

a feeling of evil to come Mr. Harding had strong forebodings that the trouble, so far from being ended, was only just beginning. — Marsh, Richard

365.

rend

tear or be torn violently In the distance heavy artillery was growling, and high explosive shells were bursting with a violence that seemed to rend the sky. — Tracy, Louis

366.

livelihood

the financial means whereby one lives

With businesses shut, fields untended and fishing abandoned many have lost their livelihoods as well as their homes, our correspondent says. — BBC (Apr 15, 2011)

367.

deign

do something that one considers to be below one's dignity To Mr. Gompers' courteous letter Czar Gary did not deign to reply. — Foster, William Z.

368.

capricious

determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity Her admirers were capricious, returning to her at times, and then holding aloof again; and as for suitors, they entirely disappeared. — Schubin, Ossip

369.

stupendous

so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe The fact was so stupendous that Terry felt almost frightened over the great good fortune. — Sabin, Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand)

370.

chaff

material consisting of seed coverings and pieces of stem

The wheat, being heavy, falls, while the chaff is blown away. — Starr, Frederick

371.

innate

not established by conditioning or learning In other words, one of our most essential abilities as humans--reading--is the product of a combination of innate and learned traits. — Time (Dec 9, 2011)

372.

reverie

an abstracted state of absorption He stood still, seemingly lost in reverie, and quite oblivious to the group about him. — Frey, Hildegard G. (Hildegard Gertrude)

373.

wrangle

to quarrel noisily, angrily or disruptively Here were many fierce and bitter wrangles over vexed questions, turbulent scenes, displays of sectional feelings. — Raymond, Evelyn

374.

crevice

a long narrow opening

The disruptive power of tree roots, growing in the crevices of rocks, is well known. — Various

375.

ostensible

appearing as such but not necessarily so This already-exhaustive book is studded with diary entries, academic papers and other ostensible evidence that its fictitious stories of destruction are true. — New York Times (Jun 6, 2010)

376.

craven

lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful Was it for them to follow the craven footsteps of a cowardly generation? — Robinson, Victor

377.

vestige

an indication that something has been present Now, there was no vestige of vegetation; no living thing. — Hopkins, William John

378.

plumb

examine thoroughly and in great depth

Tellingly, Ms. Liao said she had great difficulty finding three actors willing to plumb their own personalities. — New York Times (Jun 1, 2011)

379.

reticent

temperamentally disinclined to talk No questions were asked, and few indeed were the words spoken, hisreticent manner preventing any undue familiarity. — Maclean, John

380.

propensity

an inclination to do something A longtime colleague, Gate Theatre director Michael Colgan, noted Kelly's old-school charms, punctuated by his propensity for bow ties and smart suits. — Seattle Times (Feb 15, 2012)

381.

chide

censure severely or angrily He chided reporters as having “stalked” family members, demanding that his relatives be left alone. — New York Times (Nov 8, 2011)

382.

espouse

choose and follow

He said Islam should not be equated with terrorism or the kind of violence espoused by Bin Laden. — Reuters (May 2, 2011)

383.

raiment

especially fine or decorative clothing Clothed in fine raiment and faring sumptuously every day, he soon developed into a handsome lad. — Oxley, J. Macdonald (James Macdonald)

384.

intrepid

invulnerable to fear or intimidation There are some very courageous and intrepid reporters in Afghanistan, including some who work for American media outlets. — Salon (Apr 5, 2010)

385.

seemly

according with custom or propriety The Baron was less conscientious, for he ate more beefsteak than wasseemly, and talked a great deal of stupid nonsense, as was his wont. — Hoffmann, Ernst Theordor Wilhelm

386.

allay

lessen the intensity of or calm

Our boy was scared and confused; we tried to allay his fears. — New York Times (Mar 30, 2012)

387.

fitful

occurring in spells and often abruptly She had lost her composure, her breath came in fitful, uneven gasps, and as she sat there she pressed one hand over her heart. — Davis, Owen

388.

erode

become ground down or deteriorate Another report today showed home prices fell more than forecast in November, eroding the wealth of families as they seek to rebuild savings. — BusinessWeek (Jan 31, 2012)

389.

unaffected

free of artificiality; sincere and genuine His conversation was unaffectedly simple and frank; his language natural; always abounding in curious anecdotes. — Conway, Moncure Daniel

390.

canto

a major division of a long poem

Folengo’s next production was the Orlandino, an Italian poem of eightcantos, written in rhymed octaves. — Various

391.

docile

easily handled or managed Time and again humans have domesticated wild , producing tame individuals with softer appearances and more docile temperaments, such as dogs and guinea pigs. — Scientific American (Jan 25, 2012)

392.

patronize

treat condescendingly Ms. Paul herself noted that “glib talk about appreciating dyslexia as a ‘gift’ is unhelpful at best and patronizing at worst.” — New York Times (Feb 6, 2012)

393.

teem

be abuzz The coast, once teeming with traffic, is now lonely and deserted. — Mahaffy, J. P.

394.

estrange

arouse hostility or indifference in

An atmosphere of distrust, suspicion and fear can cause workers to feelestranged from one another, Dr. Wright has written. — New York Times (Jan 28, 2012)

395.

spat

a quarrel about petty points Public spats are rare in the asset-management industry, where companies typically resolve disputes behind closed doors. — BusinessWeek (Sep 16, 2011)

396.

warble

sing or play with trills Meadow larks, as you have undoubtedly noticed, warble many different songs. — Barrett, R. E.

397.

mien

dignified manner or conduct Nevertheless, before going to meet Samuel, she assumed a calm and dignified mien. — Kraszewski, Jo?zef Ignacy

398.

sate

fill to contentment

His appetite was not sated by any means, but he knew the danger of overloading his stomach, so he stopped. — Dewey, Edward Hooker

399.

constituency

the body of voters who elect a representative for their area Each posited that the blue-collar Democratic constituency rooted in the New Deal had grown increasingly conservative, alienated from “big government.” — New York Times (Jan 14, 2012)

400.

patrician

characteristic of the nobility or aristocracy Respectable ladies, long resident, wearing black poke bonnets and camel's-hair shawls, lifted their patrician eyebrows with disapproval. — Brooks, Charles Stephen

401.

parry

avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing The boys asked a few guarded questions, but gained no information whatever, their questions being parried in every instance. — Mears, James R.

402.

practitioner

someone who carries out a learned profession In particular, modern medical practitioners are coming around to the idea that certain illnesses cannot be reduced to one isolatable, treatable cause. — Nature (Dec 21, 2011)

403.

ravel

disentangle Overcasting is done by taking loose stitches over the raw edge of the cloth, to keep it from ravelling or fraying. — Ontario. Ministry of Education

404.

infest

occupy in large numbers or live on a host Many lived in dilapidated apartments with leaky pipes, broken windows, rooms full of mold, and walls infested with cockroaches and rats. — New York Times (Jul 28, 2011)

405.

actuate

give an incentive for doing something He knew that men were actuated by other motives, good and bad, than self-interest. — Blease, Walter Lyon

406.

surly

inclined to anger or bad feelings with overtones of menace But Blake, being surly and quarrelsome even when sober, gave the lapel a savage jerk, and reached out with his other hand. — Chisholm, A. M. (Arthur Murray)

407.

convalesce

get over an illness or shock Patients convalescing from pneumonia were evacuated to England or given Base Duty. — Jahns, Lewis E.

408.

demoralize

lower someone's spirits; make downhearted The storm clobbered many communities still recovering from the flooding two months ago caused by Hurricane Irene, leaving weary homeowners exhausted and demoralized. — Washington Post (Nov 1, 2011)

409.

devolve

grow worse As the rhetoric heated up inside, the violence outside devolved into chaos. — Time (Feb 13, 2012)

410.

alacrity

liveliness and eagerness Every one exerted himself not only without murmuring and discontent, but even with an alacrity which almost approached to cheerfulness. — Kippis, Andrew

411.

waive

do without or cease to hold or adhere to Low rates have also led retail brokerages to waive fees on money market funds to avoid negative returns for their clients. — Reuters (Jan 13, 2012)

412.

unwonted

out of the ordinary He must rush off to see his people, who no doubt were quite confounded by his unwonted energy. — Speed, Nell

413.

seethe

be in an agitated emotional state Outwardly quite calm and matter-of-fact, his mind was in a seethingturmoil. — Douglas, Hudson

414.

scrutinize

to look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail Fans and commentators are scrutinizing every blemish: his turnovers, his weak left hand, his jump shot. — New York Times (Mar 5, 2012)

415.

diffident

lacking self-confidence Shyly diffident in the presence of strangers, her head was lowered. — Packard, Frank L. (Frank Lucius)

416.

execrate

curse or declare to be evil or anathema When all Great Britain was execrating Napoleon, picturing him as a devil with horns and hoofs, Byron looked upon him as the world's hero. — Hubbard, Elbert

417.

implacable

incapable of being placated This man was a savage in his implacable desire for revenge. — Kelly, Florence Finch

418.

pique

a sudden outburst of anger A talented youngster who smashes his guitar in a fit of pique finds it magically reassembled just in time for a crucial concert. — The Guardian (May 31, 2010)

419.

mite

a slight but appreciable amount I never saw anybody so pleased with monkeys as she is, and not onemite afraid. — Raymond, Evelyn

420.

encumber

hold back Two others were making slower progress for the reason that each wasencumbered by supporting a disabled man. — Westerman, Percy F. (Percy Francis)

421.

uncouth

lacking refinement or cultivation or taste He had not stopped to consider her rough speech and uncouthmanners. — Johnston, Annie F. (Annie Fellows)

422.

petulant

easily irritated or annoyed The black eyes emitted an angry flash, the voice that answered was sharp and petulant. — Fleming, May Agnes

423.

expiate

make amends for Wulphere was absolved on condition that he should expiate his crime by founding churches and monasteries all over his kingdom. — Clifton, A. B.

424.

cavalier

given to haughty disregard of others Some would have given Nicklaus a cavalier response: polite nod while thinking, “Yeah, whatever.” — New York Times (Jun 18, 2011)

425.

banter

light teasing repartee Our easy banter had suddenly been replaced by strained and awkward interaction. — Slate (Feb 15, 2012)

426.

bluster

act in an arrogant, overly self-assured, or conceited manner

Slade, despite his swaggers and blustering, was at heart a coward. — Landon, Herman

427.

debase

corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality Long oppression had not, on the whole, either blunted their intellects ordebased their morals. — Adler, Felix

428.

retainer

a person working in the service of another This faithful and trusted retainer is greatly valued by his employers. — Black, Helen C.

429.

subjugate

make subservient; force to submit or subdue The Confederacy was led by thoroughgoing racists who wanted to keep blacks subjugated for all time because of the color of their skin. — Slate (Apr 7, 2010)

430.

extol

praise, glorify, or honor

How I praised the duck at that first dinner, and extolled Madame's skill in cookery! — Warren, Arthur

431.

fraught

filled with or attended with But the ocean remains an unpredictable place, fraught with hazards. — Scientific American (Apr 5, 2012)

432.

august

profoundly honored At all times reserved in his manner and his bearing full of dignity, never before had she realized the majesty of General Washington’s augustpresence. — Madison, Lucy Foster

433.

fissure

a long narrow depression in a surface The brown bark is not very rough, though its numerous fissures and cracks give it a rugged appearance. — Step, Edward

434.

knoll

a small natural hill

Opened in 2008, the park serves as a true public space; elderly couples stroll around the artificial lake as toddlers roll down grassy knolls. — New York Times (May 7, 2010)

435.

callous

emotionally hardened Outwardly merry and good-humoured, he was by nature coldly fierce, calculating, callous. — Wingfield, Lewis

436.

inculcate

teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions But instruction in history has been for a long time systematically used to inculcate certain political sentiments in the pupils. — Liebknecht, Karl Paul August Friedrich

437.

nettle

disturb, especially by minor irritations Lincoln began these remarks by good-humored but nettling chaffing of his opponent. — Various

438.

blanch

turn pale, as if in fear

He is silent, as if struck dumb, his face showing blanched and bloodless, while she utters a shriek, half terrified, half in frenzied anger. — Reid, Mayne

439.

inscrutable

of an obscure nature The fashion industry is notoriously opaque and often inscrutable for outsiders, even ones as well connected as him. — Seattle Times (Oct 1, 2011)

440.

tenacious

stubbornly unyielding She was a tenacious woman, one who would even hold fast a thing which she no longer valued, simply because it belonged to her. — Morris, Clara

441.

thrall

the state of being under the control of another person Then Kiss commenced in earnest, and quickly held his audience inthrall. — Farjeon, Benjamin Leopold

442.

exigency

a pressing or urgent situation

The exigency of the situation roused Mr. Popkiss' sluggish faculties into prompt action. — Magnay, William

443.

disconsolate

sad beyond comforting; incapable of being consoled Was there a bereaved mother or disconsolate sister weeping over their dead? — Steward, T. G. (Theophilus Gould)

444.

impetus

a force that moves something along Critics say it has known mixed success at best, although supporters hope the U.S. drawdown could provide just the impetus it needs to thrive. — Reuters (Jan 10, 2012)

445.

imposition

an uncalled-for burden On that far-away day he had considered the little, lost girl a nuisance and an imposition. — Chisholm, A. M. (Arthur Murray)

446.

auspices

kindly endorsement and guidance

In March 2009, negotiations between Israel and Hamas were held in Cairo, under the auspices of the Egyptian intelligence agency. — New York Times (Nov 9, 2011)

447.

sonorous

full and loud and deep His voice rang out firmly now, a deep and sonorous bass. — Bedford-Jones, H.

448.

exploitation

an act that victimizes someone In a scathing report released last year, Amnesty International found there was widespread exploitation of migrants in Malaysia. — BBC (Apr 4, 2011)

449.

bane

something causing misery or death Knee pain is the bane of many runners, sometimes causing them to give up altogether. — Seattle Times (Jun 7, 2010)

450.

dint

force or effort

If only certain puzzles could be solved by dint of sheer hard thinking! — Marsh, Richard

451.

ignominious

deserving or bringing disgrace or shame The great Ottawa chief saw his partially accomplished scheme withering into ignominious failure. — Rudd, John

452.

amicable

characterized by friendship and good will After a short colloquy the two men evidently came to an amicableunderstanding, for they shook hands. — Kraszewski, Jo?zef Ignacy

453.

onset

the beginning or early stages Thousands of families are living in makeshift camps as temperatures fall to freezing with the onset of winter. — New York Times (Nov 10, 2011)

454.

conservatory

a schoolhouse with special facilities for fine arts

The young instrumental talent that is coming out of local music schools and conservatories is as amazingly good as you are going to find anywhere. — Chicago Tribune (Jun 1, 2011)

455.

zenith

the point above the observer directly opposite the nadir In other words it never reaches the zenith, a point directly overhead. — George H. Lowery.

456.

voluble

marked by a ready flow of speech I find him charming: shy – yet easy to talk to – voluble and funny once he gets going. — The Guardian (Aug 21, 2010)

457.

yeoman

a free man who owns his own farm On one extreme was the well-to-do yeoman farmer farming his own land. — Reilly, S. A.

458.

levity

a manner lacking seriousness

The same balance of seriousness and levity runs through her plays, which put an absurdist spin on everyday problems. — New York Times (May 7, 2010)

459.

rapt

feeling great delight She was watching the development of the investigation with rapt, eager attention. — Mitford, Bertram

460.

sultry

characterized by oppressive heat and humidity New guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics arrive just as school sports ramp up in sultry August temperatures. — Washington Post (Aug 9, 2011)

461.

pinion

bind the arms of The prisoners having dismounted, were placed in a line on the ground facing the guillotine, their arms pinioned. — Various

462.

axiom

a proposition that is not susceptible of proof or disproof

The fundamental axiom of scientific thought is that there is not, never has been, and never will be, any disorder in nature. — Huxley, Thomas H.

463.

descry

catch sight of Looking off seaward, I could descry no sails. — Drake, Samuel Adams

464.

retinue

the group following and attending to some important person Despite his retinue of security personnel, Atambaev had been poisoned during his short tenure as prime minister. — Salon (Apr 9, 2010)

465.

functionary

a worker who holds or is invested with an office He was the functionary of the assize court, impaneling its juries, bringing accused men before it, and carrying out its penalties. — Reilly, S. A.

466.

imbibe

take in liquids

"We're cornered at last," he said suddenly, as the old man set the bottle down after having imbibed the best half of its contents. — Douglas, Hudson

467.

diversified

having variety of character or form or components Funds in both categories tend to be highly diversified, typically with 100 or more stocks across at least 10 industries. — Wall Street Journal (Feb 24, 2012)

468.

maraud

raid and rove in search of booty Its reporter says armed gangs and looters are marauding the streets. — BBC (Apr 8, 2011)

469.

grudging

petty or reluctant in giving or spending Expect delays, scattered outages and surly, grudging customer service in the interim. — Time (Aug 30, 2011)

470.

partiality

a predisposition to like something

She still showed a partiality for bright colors, by her gown of deep crimson. — Sage, William

471.

philology

the humanistic study of language and literature I had determined to study philology, chiefly Greek and Latin, but the fare spread out by the professors was much too tempting. — Müller, F. Max (Friedrich Max)

472.

wry

humorously sarcastic or mocking She also has a very understated but very wry sense of humour; watch out for it. — The Guardian (Oct 13, 2010)

473.

caucus

meet to select a candidate or promote a policy Representative Ron Paul of Texas isn’t campaigning in Florida, instead focusing on Maine, which will caucus in late February. — BusinessWeek (Feb 1, 2012)

474.

permeate

spread or diffuse through

Florida’s summertime heat permeates almost every scene, becoming something like a character. — New York Times (Mar 13, 2012)

475.

propitious

presenting favorable circumstances With the Athens stock market down nearly 30 percent so far this year, it would not seem a propitious time for initial public offerings. — New York Times (Jun 2, 2010)

476.

salient

having a quality that thrusts itself into attention Bullying has become an increasingly salient problem for school-age children, and in rare cases has ended tragically with victims committing suicide. — Reuters (Feb 8, 2012)

477.

propitiate

make peace with King Edward, having subdued the Welsh, “endeavoured to propitiatehis newly acquired subjects by becoming a resident in the conquered country. — Frith, William Powell

478.

excise

remove by cutting

Wielding a razor, Jefferson excised all passages containing supernaturalistic elements from the gospels, extracting what he took to be Jesus's pure ethical teachings. — The Guardian (Apr 8, 2011)

479.

betoken

be a signal for or a symptom of The haggard face and sombre eyes betokened considerable mental anguish. — Young, F.E. Mills

480.

palatable

acceptable to the taste or mind If nicely cooked in this way, cabbage is as palatable and as digestible as cauliflower. — Ronald, Mary

481.

upbraid

express criticism towards When Kahn warned of a serious economic "depression", he wasupbraided by the White House for using such language. — The Guardian (Jan 12, 2011)

482.

renegade

someone who rebels and becomes an outlaw

If he went off to another people he lost all standing among the Sioux and was thereafter treated as an outlaw and a renegade. — Robinson, Doane

483.

hoary

ancient The device of the trapped young person saved by books is a hoaryone, but Ms. Winterson makes it seem new, and sulfurous. — New York Times (Mar 8, 2012)

484.

pedantic

marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning The reader is treated to pedantic little footnotes, and given a good deal of information which is either gratuitous or uninteresting. — Hay, Ian

485.

coy

showing marked and often playful evasiveness or reluctance It was funny watching such a solid person, based in faith and education, grow a trifle coy about the year of his birth. — New York Times (Jul 11, 2010)

486.

troth

a solemn pledge of fidelity She had pledged to him her troth, and she would not attempt to go back from her pledge at the first appearance of a difficulty. — Trollope, Anthony

487.

encroachment

entry to another's property without right or permission The move may mark yet another attempt by France to rein in what it sees as the encroachment of online services on the country's culture. — BusinessWeek (Jan 8, 2010)

488.

belie

be in contradiction with "It is a fine morning," he said, taken aback by my sudden movement, but affecting an indifference which the sparkle in his eye belied. — Weyman, Stanley John

489.

armada

a large fleet An armada of three hundred ships manned by eighteen thousand marines assembled in the bay on their way to the conquest of Algiers. — Douglas, Frances

490.

succor

assistance in time of difficulty Given his health woes, succession worries and persistent isolation, Mr. Kim may simply be seeking succor from what may be his last friend on earth. — New York Times (May 5, 2010)

491.

imperturbable

marked by extreme calm and composure Ordinarily imperturbable, even in the face of unexpected situations, he was now visibly agitated. — Griggs, Sutton E. (Sutton Elbert)

492.

irresolute

uncertain how to act or proceed I stood for a moment before I entered on my arduous undertaking,irresolute and hesitating, swayed by two conflicting impulses. — Waugh, Joseph Laing

493.

knack

a special way of doing something He had a special knack of hunting out farm houses, engaging madame in conversation, and coming away with bread, eggs, or cheese in his knapsack. — Price, Lucien

494.

unseemly

not in keeping with accepted standards of what is proper The square mile's upbeat mood may strike some as unseemly at a time of national gloom. — The Guardian (Jan 1, 2011)

495.

accentuate

to stress, single out as important This sparkling marvel lies modestly nestled among the law courts, whose plainer modern buildings serve but to accentuate its wonderful beauty. — Sherrill, Charles Hitchcock

496.

divulge

make known to the public information previously kept secret She hectors her children not to divulge personal information like phone numbers online. — Seattle Times (Nov 15, 2011)

497.

brawn

possessing muscular strength He believes Hollywood has often have had an over-reliance on physicalbrawn as the deciding factor for portraying a strong man. — Reuters (Jul 9, 2010)

498.

burnish

polish and make shiny Great cleanliness is enforced in all that belongs to a lighthouse, the reflectors and lenses being constantly burnished, polished, and cleansed. — Whymper, Frederick

499.

palpitate

beat rapidly After supper my heart started racing, palpitating like a tick. — Isaacson, Lauren Ann

500.

promiscuous

not selective of a single class or person A promiscuous assembly had gathered there—men of all creeds and opinions—and an "open-air" meeting was in progress. — Whitney, Orson F.

501.

dissemble

make believe with the intent to deceive Pictures have always dissembled – there are millions of snaps of miserable families grinning bravely – but now they directly lie. — The Guardian (Dec 4, 2010)

502.

flotilla

a fleet of small craft She was guarded by a flotilla of boats equipped with satellites, Global Positioning System devices, advanced navigation systems and shark shields. — New York Times (Aug 11, 2011)

503.

invective

abusive language used to express blame or censure There's much more name-calling, shouting and personal invective in American life than anywhere I've ever traveled outside the United States. — Washington Post (Jan 15, 2011)

504.

hermitage

the abode of a recluse All the rest of their time is passed in solitude in their hermitages, which are built quite separate from one another. — Various

505.

despoil

destroy and strip of its possession Wherever his lordship's army went, plantations were despoiled, and private houses plundered. — Campbell, Charles

506.

sully

make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air Why sully the reputation of an otherwise fascinating online community with really deeply questionable, troubling content? — Forbes (Feb 13, 2012)

507.

malevolent

having or exerting a malignant influence So you don’t believe in evil, as an actual malevolent force? — New York Times (Oct 28, 2011)

508.

irksome

so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness It was pretty irksome passing the time in his enforced prison, and finally Andy went to sleep. — Webster, Frank V.

509.

prattle

speak about unimportant matters rapidly and incessantly She prattled on about the gossip of the town until Penny and her father were thoroughly bored. — Clark, Joan

510.

subaltern

inferior in rank or status The careful commanding officer of a regiment discourages his youngsubalterns from taking leave to Hill Stations. — Casserly, Gordon

511.

welt

a raised mark on the skin But red, itchy welts typically appear within 24 to 48 hours of being bitten. — US News (Nov 23, 2010)

512.

wreak

cause to happen or to occur as a consequence The burden of paying for college is wreaking havoc on the finances of an unexpected demographic: senior citizens. — Washington Post (Apr 1, 2012)

513.

tenable

based on sound reasoning or evidence First, it is no longer really tenable – and in fact a bit disrespectful – to call a country like China an emerging economy. — The Guardian (Feb 18, 2011)

514.

inimitable

matchless Leave aside Spain, where Barcelona breeds its own, inimitable style, and the answer might be that we are rushing toward uniformity. — New York Times (Sep 26, 2010)

515.

depredation

a destructive action Wild elephants abound and commit many depredations, entering villages in large herds, and consuming everything suitable to their tastes. — Various

516.

amalgamate

to bring or combine together or with something else Where two weak tribes amalgamated into one, there it exceptionally happened that two closely related dialects were simultaneously spoken in the same tribe. — Engels, Friedrich

517.

immutable

not subject or susceptible to change or variation

We are mistaken to imagine a work of literature is or should beimmutable, sculpted in marble and similarly impervious to change. — The Guardian (May 27, 2010)

518.

proxy

a person authorized to act for another Ideally, everybody over 18 should execute a living will and select a health care proxy — someone to represent you in medical matters. — New York Times (Jan 17, 2011)

519.

dote

shower with love; show excessive affection for He doted on him, just dearly loved him, and thought he could do no wrong,” Kredell said. — Washington Post (Oct 17, 2011)

520.

reactionary

extremely conservative Old people are often accused of being too conservative, and evenreactionary. — Chinard, Gilbert

521.

rationalism

the doctrine that reason is the basis for regulating conduct

Offering a religious rationale for policy goals threatens what for many has become the cherished principle of secular rationalism in public life. — Salon (Apr 24, 2011)

522.

endue

give qualities or abilities to To say the least of it, he was endued with sufficient intelligence to acquire an ordinary knowledge of such matters. — Various

523.

discriminating

showing or indicating careful judgment and discernment Jobs’ Apple specializes in delighting the most discriminating, hard-to-please customers. — Forbes (Oct 12, 2011)

524.

brooch

a decorative pin worn by women Upon her breast she wore a brooch of gold set with many precious stones. — Butler, Pierce

525.

pert

characterized by a lightly exuberant quality

Her pert, lively manner said she hadn't taken any wooden nickels lately. — Schoenherr, John

526.

disembark

go ashore The immigrants disembarked from their ships tired and underfed—generally in poor health. — Hughes, Thomas Proctor

527.

aria

an elaborate song for solo voice Ms. Netrebko sang an elegantly sad aria with lustrous warmth, aching vulnerability and floating high notes. — New York Times (Sep 27, 2011)

528.

trappings

accessory wearing apparel They were caparisoned in Indian fashion with gay colors and fancytrappings. — Roy, Lillian Elizabeth

529.

abet

assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing

"Since YouTube, digital culture has aided and enhanced -- or maybe the better word is abetted -the celebrity meltdown," said Wired magazine senior editor Nancy Miller. — Reuters (Mar 9, 2011)

530.

clandestine

conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods For Jordan, this is a clandestine relationship it would much prefer to have kept secret. — BBC (Jan 5, 2010)

531.

distend

swell from or as if from internal pressure Some kids said LaNiyah's distended abdomen looked like she was carrying a baby. — Seattle Times (Apr 7, 2011)

532.

glib

having only superficial plausibility The other sort of engineer understands that glib comparisons between computers and humans don't do justice to the complexities of either. — Forbes (Jul 22, 2010)

533.

pucker

to gather something into small wrinkles or folds

Godmother,' she went on, puckering her forehead again in perplexity, 'it almost feels like feathers. — Molesworth, Mrs. (Mary Louisa)

534.

rejoinder

a quick reply to a question or remark "Not at all!" was Aunt Susannah's brisk rejoinder. — Various

535.

spangle

adornment consisting of a small piece of shiny material Magdalen's garments are rich with spangles; her mantle is scarlet; she has flowers in her luxuriant tresses, and looks a vain creature. — O'Shea, John Augustus

536.

blighted

affected by something that prevents growth or prosperity Hudec, whose career has been blighted by knee injuries and operations, won for the first time in more than four years. — New York Times (Feb 4, 2012)

537.

nicety

conformity with some aesthetic standard of correctness

They accepted the invitation; but Mrs. Rowlandson did not appreciate the niceties of Indian etiquette. — Abbott, John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot)

538.

aggrieve

infringe on the rights of Some fallout appears evident in donations from Wall Street executives, who feel particularly aggrieved by Mr. Obama’s criticisms and policies. — New York Times (Feb 20, 2012)

539.

vestment

gown worn by the clergy And then a priest, arrayed in all his vestments, came in at the open door, and the prince and princess exchanged rings, and were married. — Glinski, A. J.

540.

urbane

showing a high degree of refinement Polished, urbane and gentlemanly—his manners were calculated to refine all around him. — Judson, L. Carroll

541.

defray

bear the expenses of

The legislation also calls for $1.6 billion in spending cuts to helpdefray the disaster costs. — Washington Post (Sep 26, 2011)

542.

spectral

resembling or characteristic of a phantom Hawthorne’s figures are somewhat spectral; they lack flesh and blood. — Merwin, Henry Childs

543.

munificent

very generous They have shown themselves very loving and generous lately, in making a quite munificent provision for his traveling. — Carlyle, Thomas

544.

dictum

an authoritative declaration In other words, they seemed fully subscribed to Andy Warhol’s dictumthat business art is the best art. — New York Times (Dec 10, 2011)

545.

fad

an interest followed with exaggerated zeal

According to Chinese media, the hottest new fad in China involves selling small live-animal key chains. — Time (Apr 5, 2011)

546.

scabbard

a sheath for a sword or dagger or bayonet Drawing his own sabre from its scabbard, he pointed to a stain on it, saying, "This is the blood of an Englishman." — Reed, Helen Leah

547.

adulterate

make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance Shady dealers along the supply chain frequently adulterate olive oil with low-grade vegetable oils and add artificial coloring. — New York Times (Dec 7, 2011)

548.

beleaguer

annoy persistently Rock concert ticket sales dropped sharply last year, sounding another sour note for the beleaguered music industry. — The Guardian (Dec 30, 2010)

549.

gripe

complain If America is going to gripe about the yuan’s rate, then China will complain about the dollar’s role. — Economist (Jan 20, 2011)

550.

remission

an abatement in intensity or degree After a few hours there is a remission of the pain, slight perspiration takes place, and the patient may fall asleep. — Various

551.

exorbitant

greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation Soon, stories began trickling across the Atlantic of crazed fans payingexorbitant sums to get into London gigs. — Slate (Oct 10, 2011)

552.

invocation

the act of appealing for help These dances are prayers or invocations for rain, the crowning blessing in this dry land. — Roosevelt, Theodore

553.

cajole

influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering Hamilton, however, was not to be cajoled into friendliness by superficial compliment. — Fisher, Harrison

554.

inclusive

permitting much or everything We are going to adhere to our basic programing strategy of nonpartisan information inclusive of all different points of view. — Reuters (Sep 27, 2010)

555.

interdict

command against Failing to satisfy his examiners, he was interdicted from practice, but ignored the prohibition, and suffered more than one imprisonment in consequence. — Worley, George

556.

abase

cause to feel shame Ashamed, abased, degraded in his own eyes, he turned away his head. — Caine, Hall, Sir

557.

obviate

do away with Comfortable sleeping-cars obviate the necessity of stopping by the way for bodily rest, provided the traveller be physically strong and in good health. — Ballou, Maturin Murray

558.

hurtle

move with or as if with a rushing sound The hurricane was expected to hit Washington in the early hours of Sunday before hurtling toward New York City. — Reuters (Aug 27, 2011)

559.

unanimity

everyone being of one mind On all other points of colonial policy, Mackenzie declared, people would be found to differ, but as regards the post office there was absolute unanimity. — Smith, William, Sir

560.

mettle

the courage to carry on The deployment will also test the emotional mettle of soldiers and their families. — New York Times (Jun 26, 2010)

561.

interpolate

insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby Most scholars agree that these lines are interpolated, since they do not fit in with the rest of the poem. — Various

562.

surreptitious

marked by quiet and caution and secrecy He noticed that the peddler was eying the bag Scotty had picked up, and was trying to be surreptitious about it. — Goodwin, Harold L. (Harold Leland)

563.

dissimulate

hide feelings from other people From infancy these people have been schooled to dissimulate and hide emotion, and ordinarily their faces are as opaque as those of veteran poker players. — Kephart, Horace

564.

ruse

a deceptive maneuver, especially to avoid capture Overseas criminals use elaborate ruses, including phony websites, to trick job-seekers into helping transfer stolen funds. — BusinessWeek (Aug 4, 2011)

565.

specious

plausible but false You might be tempted to think of the biggest airline as the one with the most aircraft, but capacity differences make this reasoning specious. — Salon (May 6, 2010)

566.

revulsion

intense aversion After a first instinctive cry of horrified revulsion, the men reached down under water with their hands and drew out—a corpse. — Livingston, Arthur

567.

hale

exhibiting or restored to vigorous good health From a hearty, hale, corn-fed boy, he has become pale, lean, and wan. — Adams, Abigail

568.

palliate

lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of Divisions and inequalities persist, but government can palliate their effects with hard cash. — The Guardian (Aug 14, 2010)

569.

obtuse

lacking in insight or discernment The affair had been mentioned so plainly that it was impossible for the most dense and obtuse person not to have understood the allusion. — Brazil, Angela

570.

querulous

habitually complaining He was, at times, as querulous as a complaining old man. — Williams, Ben Ames

571.

vagary

an unexpected and inexplicable change in something Today such acquisitions are more likely to stay put, destined to survive both market fluctuations and the vagaries of style. — New York Times (Sep 29, 2010)

572.

incipient

only partly in existence; imperfectly formed Above all, medical teams will need to establish quick surveillance to identify health needs and pinpoint incipient outbreaks before they explode. — Time (Jan 13, 2010)

573.

obdurate

stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing Several appeared deeply affected, with tears of repentance standing in their eyes, others sullen and obdurate. — Huth, Alexander

574.

grovel

show submission or fear The two young men who drove them had fallen flat and weregrovelling and wailing for mercy. — Mitford, Bertram

575.

refractory

stubbornly resistant to authority or control Beyond them the gardener struggled with a refractory horse that refused to draw his load of brush and dead leaves. — Bacon, Josephine Dodge Daskam

576.

dregs

sediment that has settled at the bottom of a liquid "Right got to go," Ali says, draining the dregs of his beer. — BBC (Feb 25, 2012)

577.

ascendancy

the state when one person or group has power over another But in a few days he had secured an almost incredible ascendancyover the sullen, starved, halfclothed army. — Various

578.

supercilious

having or showing arrogant superiority to A supercilious, patronizing person—son of a wretched country parson—used to loll against the wall of your salon—with his nose in the air. — Pinero, Arthur Wing, Sir

579.

pundit

someone who has been admitted to membership in a field Pundits of agricultural science explore the sheds, I believe, the barns, stables, machine-rooms, and so forth, before inspecting the crops. — Boyle, Frederick

580.

commiserate

to feel or express sympathy or compassion

We had spent countless hours together drinking wine andcommiserating about child-rearing, long Wisconsin winters and interrupted sleep. — New York Times (Mar 24, 2011)

581.

alcove

a small recess opening off a larger room They showed him where he would sleep, in a little closet-like alcovescreened from the big room by a gay curtain. — Wilson, Harry Leon

582.

assay

make an effort or attempt He decided to assay one last project before giving up. — New York Times (Mar 30, 2012)

583.

parochial

narrowly restricted in outlook or scope But Republicans in Pennsylvania also have narrower and moreparochial things to worry about. — New York Times (Sep 17, 2011)

584.

conjugal

relating to the relationship between a wife and husband

They even had conjugal visits for prisoners — five hours in a private room every three months with your wife. — New York Times (Nov 23, 2010)

585.

abjure

formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief The caste abstain from liquor, and some of them have abjured all flesh food while others partake of it. — Russell, R. V. (Robert Vane)

586.

frieze

an ornament consisting of a horizontal sculptured band All the doorways mentioned above have cornices, and in those at Palmyra and Baalbec richly carved friezes with side corbels. — Various

587.

ornate

marked by complexity and richness of detail Unlike his literary icon, Herman Melville, he doesn’t adorn his writing with ornate flourishes or complicated scaffolding. — Scientific American (Dec 20, 2011)

588.

inflammatory

arousing to action or rebellion We don't know whether inflammatory language or images can incite the mentally ill to commit acts of violence. — Time (Jan 13, 2011)

589.

machination

a crafty and involved plot to achieve your ends He was continued a member of Congress until 1777 when his enemies succeeded in their long nursed machinations against him. — Judson, L. Carroll

590.

mendicant

a pauper who lives by begging In others are the broken-down mendicants who live on soup-kitchens and begging. — Ritchie, J. Ewing (James Ewing)

591.

meander

to move or cause to move in a sinuous or circular course They paused beside one of the low stone walls that meandered in a meaningless fashion this way and that over the uplands. — Vance, Louis Joseph

592.

bullion

gold or silver in bars or ingots In times of economic turmoil, more people tend to invest in bulliongold. — Washington Post (Mar 30, 2012)

593.

diffidence

lack of self-assurance His grave diffidence and continued hesitation in offering an opinion confirmed me in my own. — Froude, James Anthony

594.

makeshift

done or made using whatever is available The house was still under construction, so he climbed up a ladder being used as a makeshift stairway, fell and injured his leg. — New York Times (Apr 12, 2012)

595.

husbandry

the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock The U.S. can take a lesson from Denmark, which has efficiently raised livestock without hurting farmers, by using better animal husbandrypractices. — Scientific American (Mar 22, 2011)

596.

podium

a platform raised above the surrounding level Leyva beamed as he stood atop the podium, nodding as the American flag was raised and “The Star-Spangled Banner” played in his honor. — New York Times (Oct 22, 2011)

597.

dearth

an insufficient quantity or number A continuing dearth of snow in many U.S. spots usually buried by this time of year has turned life upside down. — Washington Post (Jan 5, 2012)

598.

granary

a storehouse for threshed grain or animal feed Here is where he does his husking, and the "clear corn" produced is stored away in some underground granary till It is needed. — Seton, Ernest Thompson

599.

whet

make keen or more acute While he described the fishing as “pretty good,” the silver salmon running in the creek only whetted his appetite to return to Alaska. — Washington Post (Aug 17, 2011)

600.

imposture

pretending to be another person He got somebody to prosecute him for false pretences and imposture, on the ground that Madame was a man. — Leland, Charles Godfrey

601.

diadem

an ornamental jeweled headdress signifying sovereignty I dethrone monarchs and the people rejoicing crown me instead, showering diadems upon my head. — Tilney, Frederick Colin

602.

fallow

undeveloped but potentially useful Several new prostate cancer drugs have been approved in the last couple of years, after a long fallow period, and others are in advanced development. — New York Times (Nov 3, 2011)

603.

hubbub

loud confused noise from many sources

There was some good-humoured pushing and thrusting, the drum beating and the church bells jangling bravely above the hubbub. — Weyman, Stanley J.

604.

dispassionate

unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice The commission sitting by, judicial, dispassionate, presided with cold dignity over the sacrifice, and pronounced it good. — Candee, Helen Churchill Hungerford, Mrs.

605.

harrowing

extremely painful Belgium found itself in turmoil as hundreds of people came forward to offer harrowing accounts of abuse over several decades. — New York Times (Jan 16, 2012)

606.

askance

with suspicion or disapproval A secret marriage in these days would be looked upon askance by most people. — Wood, Mrs. Henry

607.

lancet

a surgical knife with a pointed double-edged blade

His left arm was held by the second physician, while the chief surgeon bent over it, lancet in hand. — Hay, Marie, Hon. (Agnes Blanche Marie)

608.

rankle

gnaw into; make resentful or angry He was feeling more like himself now, though the memory of the bully’s sneering words rankled. — Chadwick, Lester

609.

ramify

have or develop complicating consequences Cometary science has ramified in unexpected ways during the last hundred years. — Various

610.

gainsay

take exception to That Whitman entertained a genuine affection for men and women is, of course, too obvious to be gainsaid. — Rickett, Arthur

611.

polity

a governmentally organized unit

China needs a polity that can address its increasingly sophisticated society, and to achieve that there must be political reform, Mr. Sun said. — New York Times (Mar 21, 2012)

612.

credence

the mental attitude that something is believable "Well-known brand names that promote new products receive morecredence than newcomers that people don't know about." — US News (Oct 6, 2010)

613.

indemnify

make amends for; pay compensation for She put her affairs in order and left instructions that those whom she had unwittingly wronged should be indemnified out of her private fortune. — Butler, Pierce

614.

ingratiate

gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts He became kindly and coaxing, leaning across the table with aningratiating smile. — King, Basil

615.

declivity

a downward slope or bend

In this frightful condition, the hunter grappled with the raging beast, and, struggling for life, they rolled together down a steep declivity. — Goodrich, Samuel G. (Samuel Griswold)

616.

importunate

expressing earnest entreaty The young man was then passionately importunate in the protestations of his love. — Barr, Amelia Edith Huddleston

617.

passe

out of fashion My friend is very keen on the new crowd; everything else he declares is "passe." — Holliday, Robert Cortes

618.

whittle

cut small bits or pare shavings from Tad followed, whittling on a stick with his knife and kicking at the shavings as they fell. — Kjelgaard, James Arthur

619.

repine

express discontent

Those poor fellows above, accustomed to the wild freshness and freedom of the sea, how they must mourn and repine! — O'Shea, John Augustus

620.

flay

strip the skin off Once at the moose and hastily flaying the hide from the steaming meat my attention became centered on the task. — Sinclair, Bertrand W.

621.

larder

a small storeroom for storing foods or wines Mr. Goncalves’s larder holds staples like beefsteak, salt cod, sardines, olives, artichokes, hot and sweet peppers and plenty of garlic. — New York Times (Feb 18, 2011)

622.

threadbare

thin and tattered with age They were all poor folk, wrapped in threadbare cloaks or tattered leather. — Brackett, Leigh Douglass

623.

grisly

shockingly repellent; inspiring horror

Television video showed a heavily damaged building and a grislyscene inside, with clothing and prayer mats scattered across a blood-splattered floor. — New York Times (Aug 19, 2011)

624.

untoward

not in keeping with accepted standards of what is proper Responding to criticism that cash payments are a classic means of tax evasion, he said he had done nothing untoward. — New York Times (Aug 2, 2011)

625.

idiosyncrasy

a behavioral attribute peculiar to an individual One of his well-known idiosyncrasies was that he would never allow himself to be photographed. — Le Queux, William

626.

quip

make jokes "I could have joined the FBI in a shorter period of time and with less documentation than it took to get that mortgage," she quipped. — Reuters (Oct 13, 2010)

627.

blatant

without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious

There was no blatant display of wealth, and every article of furniture bore signs of long though careful use. — Bull, Charles Livingston

628.

stanch

stop the flow of a liquid She did not attempt to stanch her tears, but sat looking at him with a smiling mouth, while the heavy drops fell down her cheeks. — Stockley, Cynthia

629.

incongruity

the quality of disagreeing Hanging out wet clothes and an American flag at the North Pole seemed an amusing incongruity. — Cook, Frederick A.

630.

perfidious

tending to betray The perfidious Italian at length confessed that it was his intention to murder his master, and then rob the house. — Billinghurst, Percy J.

631.

platitude

a trite or obvious remark

But details are fuzzy and rebel leaders often resort to platitudes when dismissing suggestions of discord, saying simply that "Libya is one tribe." — Wall Street Journal (Jun 20, 2011)

632.

revelry

unrestrained merrymaking But all this revelry — dancing, drinks, exuberant youth — can be hard to manage. — New York Times (Jun 3, 2010)

633.

delve

turn up, loosen, or remove earth So she did what any reporter would do: she delved into the scientific literature and talked to investigators. — New York Times (Dec 27, 2010)

634.

extenuate

lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of Prosecutors often spend time weighing mitigating and extenuatingcircumstances before deciding to seek the death penalty. — Washington Post (Oct 15, 2011)

635.

polemic

a controversy, especially over a belief or dogma

Would it be a polemic that denounced Western imperialism for using cinema to undermine emerging nations like Kazakhstan? — New York Times (Oct 4, 2010)

636.

enrapture

hold spellbound I was delighted, enraptured, beside myself--the world had disappeared in an instant. — Spielhagen, Friedrich

637.

virtuoso

someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field Each of the seven instrumentalists was a virtuoso in his own right and had ample opportunity to prove it, often in long, soulful solos. — New York Times (May 3, 2010)

638.

glower

look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval A moment later he would collapse, sit glowering in his chair, looking angrily at the carpet. — Hecht, Ben

639.

mundane

found in the ordinary course of events

Now, it would seem, that the Chinese are getting back to their everyday concerns, paying attention to events more mundane and less cataclysmic. — New York Times (Mar 20, 2012)

640.

fatuous

devoid of intelligence They're too stupid, for one thing; they go on burning houses and breaking windows in their old fatuous way. — McKenna, Stephen

641.

incorrigible

impervious to correction by punishment She scolded and lectured her sister in vain; Cynthia was incorrigible. — Various

642.

postulate

maintain or assert In fact, when Einstein formulated his cosmological vision, based on his theory of gravitation, he postulated that the universe was finite. — Scientific American (Jul 26, 2011)

643.

gist

the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work

The syntax was a little off, even comical at times, but I got the gist of what was going on. — Time (May 6, 2010)

644.

vociferous

conspicuously and offensively loud The complaints grew so loud and vociferous that even President Obama was forced to address the backlash from Lisbon on Saturday. — New York Times (Nov 23, 2010)

645.

purvey

supply with provisions And we will agree also to purvey food for these horses and people during nine months. — Villehardouin, Geoffroi de

646.

baleful

deadly or sinister “But he is dead,” put in Fanning, wondering at the baleful expression of hatred that had come into the man’s face. — Burnham, Margaret

647.

gibe

laugh at with contempt and derision

So much did their taunts prey upon him that he ran away from school to escape their gibes. — Hubbard, Elbert

648.

dyspeptic

irritable as if suffering from indigestion One may begin with heroic renunciations and end in undignified envy and dyspeptic comments outside the door one has slammed on one's self. — Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)

649.

prude

a person excessively concerned about propriety and decorum Criticising high-profile programmes about teenage sex education often means risking being written off as a prude. — The Guardian (Feb 11, 2011)

650.

luminary

a celebrity who is an inspiration to others Founded in 1947, the group's members have included suchluminaries as Walt Disney, Spencer Tracy and another American president, Ronald Reagan. — Seattle Times (Apr 11, 2011)

651.

amenable

disposed or willing to comply

He, Jean Boulot, being so amenable to sensible argument, would at once fall in with his views. — Wingfield, Lewis

652.

willful

habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition I crossed my arms like a willful child. — New York Times (Aug 18, 2011)

653.

overbearing

having or showing arrogant superiority to "True; but——" "Just so," interrupted Mr. Fauntleroy, in his decisive and rather overbearing manner. — Wood, Mrs. Henry

654.

dais

a platform raised above the surrounding level The throne was elevated on a dais of silver steps. — Tracy, Louis

655.

automate

make independent of external control

And because leap seconds are needed irregularly their insertion cannot be automated, which means that fallible humans must insert them by hand. — Economist (Jan 12, 2012)

656.

enervate

weaken mentally or morally The reviewers have enervated men’s minds, and made them indolent; few think for themselves. — Rossetti, William Michael

657.

wheedle

influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering On one level, I expected incessant flattery in attempts to wheedleequipment or even money from American forces. — New York Times (Aug 16, 2010)

658.

gusto

vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment The audience, surprisingly large given the inclement weather, responded with gusto, applauding each song, including those within the Shostakovich cycle. — New York Times (Mar 2, 2010)

659.

bouillon

a clear seasoned broth

The meat soups are called broths, bouillon, or consommé, according to their richness. — Ronald, Mary

660.

omniscient

infinitely wise Robbe-Grillet responds that his work is in fact far less objective than the godlike, omniscient narrator who presides over so many traditional novels. — The Guardian (May 13, 2010)

661.

apostate

not faithful to religion or party or cause They are atheist conservatives — Mr. Khan an apostate to his family’s Islamic faith, Ms. Mac Donald to her left-wing education. — New York Times (Feb 18, 2011)

662.

carrion

the dead and rotting body of an animal; unfit for human food Habitually his diet is not carnivorous, but he will eat at times eithercarrion or living flesh. — Reid, Mayne

663.

emolument

compensation received by virtue of holding an office

As the TUC has pointed out, those incomes – except for senior executives, whose emoluments seem to know few bounds – are rising more slowly than prices. — The Guardian (Jan 8, 2011)

664.

ungainly

lacking grace in movement or posture Thomas looked up furtively and saw that an ungainly human figure with crooked legs was being led into the church. — Gogol, Nikolai Vasilievich

665.

impiety

unrighteousness by virtue of lacking respect for a god That, however, is unbelief, extreme impiety, and a denial of the most high God. — Bente, F. (Friedrich)

666.

decadence

the state of being degenerate in mental or moral qualities But there are people who really do not want to import what they regard as Western decadence, especially public drunkenness. — BBC (Jun 11, 2011)

667.

homily

a sermon on a moral or religious topic

In his New Year's homily, the pope said "words were not enough" to bring about peace, particularly in the Middle East. — Reuters (Jan 2, 2011)

668.

avocation

an auxiliary activity Unlike many retired doctors, whom he says often have no life outside their profession, he always knew sailing would become his avocation. — Newsweek (Nov 17, 2010)

669.

circumvent

avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing Mr. Bloomberg said he would take several steps to circumventobstacles to his proposals posed by city labor unions. — New York Times (Jan 12, 2012)

670.

syllogism

reasoning in which a conclusion is derived from two premises The conclusions arrived at by means of syllogisms are irresistible, provided the form be correct and the premises be true. — Webster, W. F. (William Franklin)

671.

collation

assembling in proper numerical or logical sequence In the case of early printed books or manuscripts, which are often not paged, special knowledge is needed for their collation. — Rooke, Noel

672.

haggle

wrangle, as over a price or terms of an agreement Obama said while officials can haggle over the makeup of spending cuts, the policy issues have no place in the measure. — BusinessWeek (Apr 6, 2011)

673.

waylay

wait in hiding to attack Sir Samuel Clithering was not, of course, a member of it; but he lurked about outside and waylaid us as we went in. — Birmingham, George A.

674.

savant

someone who has been admitted to membership in a field Frank had studied something of almost everything and imagined himself a savant. — Roussel, John

675.

cohort

a group of people having approximately the same age The current cohort of college students is, as many have pointed out, the first truly digital generation. — Washington Post (Dec 1, 2011)

676.

unction

excessive but superficial compliments with affected charm "You couldn't ask too much of me," he returned, with no unction of flattery, but the cheerfully frank expression of an ingenuous heart. — Ogden, George W. (George Washington)

677.

adjure

command solemnly “I adjure thee,” she said, “swear to me that you will never go near those Christians again or read their books.” — Pennell, T. L. (Theodore Leighton)

678.

acrimony

a rough and bitter manner Relations with India have been slowly improving, although talks ended in acrimony last July with the two sides indulging in a public spat over Kashmir. — BBC (Feb 10, 2011)

679.

clarion

loud and clear “He has been the single, clarion voice for commuter rail in central Florida for 20 years,” said Mayor Ken Bradley of Winter Park. — New York Times (Jun 27, 2011)

680.

turbid

clouded as with sediment The thick turbid sea rolled in, casting up mire and dirt from its depths. — Reynolds, Mrs. Baillie

681.

cupidity

extreme greed for material wealth Well educated, but very corrupt at heart, he found in his insatiablecupidity many ways of gaining money. — Kraszewski, Jozef Ignacy

682.

disaffected

discontented as toward authority The financial crisis, largely caused by banker incompetence, has created legions of disaffected customers. — Forbes (Sep 15, 2011)

683.

preternatural

surpassing the ordinary or normal In fact, they regarded the Spaniards as superior beings endowed withpreternatural gifts. — Gilson, Jewett Castello

684.

eschew

avoid and stay away from deliberately Morrissey is among those seniors who are eschewing nursing homes in favor of independent living. — Washington Post (Mar 23, 2012)

685.

expatiate

add details, as to an account or idea He then expatiated on his own miseries, which he detailed at full length. — Manzoni, Alessandro

686.

didactic

instructive, especially excessively Let us have a book so full of good illustrations that didacticinstruction shall not be needed. — Various

687.

sinuous

curved or curving in and out In origami parlance, Mr. Joisel was a wet-folder, dampening his paper so that he could coax it into sinuous curves. — New York Times (Oct 20, 2010)

688.

rancor

a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will The current session of Parliament has so far produced only rancor, as opposition parties have shut down proceedings with angry, theatrical protests against corruption. — New York Times (Aug 14, 2011)

689.

puissant

powerful The ship was not fighting now, but yielding—a complacent leviathan held captive by a most puissant and ruthless enemy. — Tracy, Louis

690.

homespun

characteristic of country life His rural, homespun demeanor ordinarily might elicit snickers from India’s urban elite. — New York Times (Aug 18, 2011)

691.

embroil

force into some kind of situation or course of action But Mr. Marbury, often embroiled in controversy during his N.B.A. days, seems to have found some measure of peace in China. — New York Times (Apr 1, 2012)

692.

pathological

caused by or evidencing a mentally disturbed condition "Fixated individuals" — mentally ill people with a pathological focus on someone, often a stranger — make up the first group. — Time (Apr 26, 2011)

693.

resonant

characterized by a loud deep sound His eyes were piercing but sad, his voice grand and resonant, suiting well the wrathful, impassioned Calvinism of his sermons. — Barr, Amelia Edith Huddleston

694.

libretto

the words of an opera or musical play In many great operas, composers have had to whittle down an epic literary work into a suitable libretto. — New York Times (Mar 6, 2010)

695.

flail

thresh about Exercise is prescribed, but when she joins an aqua aerobics class, sheflails embarrassingly. — New York Times (Apr 12, 2012)

696.

bandy

discuss lightly Hillary Clinton’s name has been bandied about, but she’s made it clear she’s not interested. — Time (Mar 20, 2012)

697.

gratis

costing nothing "Would you admit them gratis?" asked Mr. Castlemaine with a smile, "or would they have to pay, like ordinary residents in an hotel?" — Hocking, Joseph

698.

upshot

a phenomenon that is caused by some previous phenomenon The inevitable upshot of their growing social power was that brands wanted an expanded visual presence. — The Guardian (Jul 27, 2010)

699.

aphorism

a short pithy instructive saying General Sherman's famous aphorism that "War is Hell," has become classic. — Fletcher, Samuel H.

700.

redoubtable

worthy of respect or honor Captain Miles Standish was a redoubtable soldier, small in person, but of great activity and courage. — Mann, Henry

701.

corpulent

excessively fat Obesity is very common, but chiefly among the women, who while still quite young often become enormously corpulent. — D'Anvers, N.

702.

benighted

lacking enlightenment or knowledge or culture I alone was magnificently and absurdly aware—everyone else wasbenightedly out of it. — James, Henry

703.

sententious

abounding in or given to pompous or aphoristic moralizing He is the village wise man; very sententious; and full of profound remarks on shallow subjects. — Irving, Washington

704.

cabal

a clique that seeks power usually through intrigue Supposedly, see, there's this global cabal of scientists conspiring to bring about socialist one-world government. — Salon (Jul 7, 2010)

705.

paraphernalia

equipment consisting of miscellaneous articles It's outfitted with cricket bats and other antique sports paraphernalia. — Seattle Times (Sep 27, 2011)

706.

vitiate

make imperfect His talent in writing is vitiated by his affectation and other faults. — Blair, Emma Helen

707.

adulation

servile flattery; exaggerated and hypocritical praise And celebrities get all this adulation for something that is not about character, it's about talent. — Salon (Jan 10, 2011)

708.

quaff

to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught Meanwhile the officers under the tree had got served, and, cups in hand, were quaffing joyously. — Reid, Mayne

709.

unassuming

not arrogant Parr's conduct after his most heroic actions was thoroughly modest and unassuming. — Greely, Adolphus W.

710.

libertine

a dissolute person Still, Mr. Awlaki was neither among the most conservative Muslim students nor among the libertines who tossed aside religious restrictions on drinking and sex. — New York Times (May 8, 2010)

711.

maul

injure badly by beating Hundreds of concert goers were mauled as they left by what The New York Times called “bands of roving youths.” — New York Times (Aug 17, 2011)

712.

adage

a condensed but memorable saying embodying an important fact So he focuses on the fans and embraces the adage, “Living well is the best revenge.” — New York Times (Mar 25, 2011)

713.

expostulation

the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest He even believed he saw visions with his own bodily eyes, and noexpostulations of his friends could drive this belief out of his head. — Hoffmann, E. T. A. (Ernst Theodor Amadeus)

714.

tawdry

tastelessly showy It was a tawdry affair, all Cupids and cornucopias, like a third-rate wedding cake. — Wilde, Oscar

715.

trite

repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse The subject—a deathbed scene—might seem at first sight to be a triteand common one. — Lancey, Magdalene de

716.

hireling

a person who works only for money Why should I?—a mere police detective, who had been hired to do a service and paid for it like any other hireling. — Hanshew, Thomas W.

717.

ensconce

fix firmly Though she is firmly ensconced in a writing career, Ms. Freud, 48, said that in the early days she missed acting terribly. — New York Times (Oct 30, 2011)

718.

egregious

conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible “These offenses are very serious, even egregious,” the judge said. — Washington Post (Sep 12, 2011)

719.

cogent

powerfully persuasive His thesis was too cogent, and appealed too powerfully to all classes of the Upper Canada community, to be anything but irresistible. — Morison, J. L. (John Lyle)

720.

incisive

demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions A half-hour of informed and incisive questioning by Mr. Russert would have demolished Mr. Trump. — New York Times (May 1, 2011)

721.

errant

straying from the right course or from accepted standards As the crowd voiced its displeasure, the referees made sure Wisconsin got the ball, but pass was errant and rolled out of bounds at midcourt. — Seattle Times (Feb 28, 2012)

722.

sedulous

marked by care and persistent effort Sedulous attention and painstaking industry always mark the true worker. — Calhoon, Major A.R.

723.

incandescent

characterized by ardent emotion or intensity or brilliance Kirkwood's anger cooled apace; at worst it had been a flare of passion— incandescent. — Vance, Louis Joseph

724.

derelict

in deplorable condition Others are clustered under a tin awning by a derelict railway station or in similarly run-down school buildings. — Time (Jan 5, 2011)

725.

entomology

the branch of zoology that studies insects From the department of entomology you expect to learn something about the troublesome insects, which are so universal an annoyance. — Latham, A. W.

726.

execrable

unequivocally detestable But minds were so overexcited at the time that the parties mutually accused each other, on all occasions, of the most execrable crimes. — Imbert de Saint-Amand, Arthur Léon, baron

727.

sluice

pour as if from a conduit that carries a rapid flow of water At 4:15 p.m., as the rain was sluicing off roofs in sheets, the firemen moved the trucks to higher ground. — New York Times (Aug 31, 2011)

728.

moot

of no legal significance, as having been previously decided The statement from Hermitage said even in the Soviet period no defendant had been tried after death, when charges were generally considered moot. — New York Times (Feb 7, 2012)

729.

evanescent

tending to vanish like vapor Time seems stopped but it is moving on, and every glimmer of light isevanescent, flitting. — The Guardian (Apr 15, 2010)

730.

vat

a large open vessel for holding or storing liquids The cream remains in the large vat about twenty-four hours before it is churned. — Chamberlain, James Franklin

731.

dapper

marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners Thoroughly dapper, he took off his black-and-white pinstriped suit jacket — with its pocket-square flair — and weaved in and out among them, his voice ever rising. — New York Times (Jan 22, 2011)

732.

asperity

harshness of manner All this proceeds from the old man, whose proper character it is to be angry and bitter, and to exhibit rancor and asperity. — Arndt, Johann

733.

flair

a natural talent In fact, while Lamarr qualified as an inventive genius for her artisticflair, she fell somewhat short on her scientific acumen. — Slate (Nov 28, 2011)

734.

mote

a tiny piece of anything

He took his discharge out of his pocket, brushed every mote of dust from the table, and spread the document before their eyes. — Auerbach, Berthold

735.

circumspect

heedful of potential consequences Obama administration officials argue that new regulations are forcing insurers to be more circumspect about raising rates. — New York Times (Sep 27, 2011)

736.

inimical

not friendly The Hindu idea is that so long as justice and equity characterise a king’s rule, even beasts naturally inimical are disposed to live in friendship. — Kingscote, Mrs. Howard

737.

apropos

of an appropriate or pertinent nature I found myself thinking vaguely about things that were not at allapropos to the situation. — Stockley, Cynthia

738.

gruel

a thin porridge

He says, keep them on just two pints of Indian-meal gruel—by which he appears to mean thin hasty pudding—a day, and no more. — Alcott, William A. (William Andrus)

739.

gentility

elegance by virtue of fineness of manner and expression This was no rough bully of the seas; Carew's bearing and dandified apparel bespoke gentility. — Springer, Norman

740.

disapprobation

pronouncing as wrong or morally culpable Mr Ruthven shook his head and declared that he regarded the conduct of her persecutors with grave moral disapprobation. — Wheeler, E.J.

741.

cameo

engraving or carving in low relief on a stone The trinket was a small round cameo cut out of mother-of-pearl and set in gold; it represented St. George and the dragon. — J?kai, M?r

742.

gouge

obtain by coercion or intimidation

Shortages also have raised concerns about higher prices and gougingby wholesale drug companies that obtain supplies of hard-to-get drugs and jack up the costs. — Seattle Times (Jan 20, 2012)

743.

oratorio

a musical composition for voices and orchestra Mendelssohn had no sooner completed his first oratorio, "St. Paul," than he began to think about setting another Bible story to music. — Edwards, Frederick George

744.

inclement

severe, of weather Be prepared for inclement weather and possible ice and snow on park roads. — Seattle Times (Oct 16, 2011)

745.

scintilla

a tiny or scarcely detectable amount Gardner "never expressed one scintilla of remorse for his attack upon the victim" despite overwhelming evidence, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo. — Salon (Mar 3, 2010)

746.

confluence

a flowing together

And indeed, before the 13th century, there was an extraordinaryconfluence of genius and innovation, particularly around Baghdad. — New York Times (Dec 28, 2010)

747.

squalor

sordid dirtiness What can be expected of human beings, crowded in such miserable habitations, living in filth and squalor, and often pinched with hunger? — Field, Henry M. (Henry Martyn)

748.

stricture

severe criticism While gratefully accepting the generous praises of our friends, we must briefly reply to some strictures by our critics. — Stanton, Elizabeth Cady

749.

emblazon

decorate with heraldic arms His coat of arms was emblazoned on the cover. — Mason, A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley)

750.

augury

an event indicating important things to come

This is always an encouraging sign, and an augury of success. — Alger, Horatio

751.

abut

lie adjacent to another or share a boundary It depicts a mountain landscape near Kingston, a historic townabutting the Hudson River. — New York Times (Jan 8, 2010)

752.

banal

repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse Highly dramatic incidents are juxtaposed with comparatively banalones; particular attention is given to tales of doomed love affairs. — New York Times (Dec 4, 2011)

753.

congeal

become gelatinous Boil down the syrup to half its original quantity, but take care that it does not boil long enough to congeal or become thick. — Baru?, Sulpice

754.

pilfer

make off with belongings of others

Many young people scavenge for reusable garbage, living on proceeds from pilfered construction material and other recyclables. — Seattle Times (Feb 8, 2012)

755.

malcontent

a person who is unsatisfied or disgusted Now, unfortunately, some malcontents among the hands here have spread their ideas, and a strike has been called. — Maitland, Robert

756.

sublimate

direct energy or urges into useful activities They might instead have passionate friendships, or sublimate their urges into other pursuits. — New York Times (Jun 4, 2010)

757.

eugenic

causing improvement in the offspring produced Eugenics was aimed at creating a better society by filtering out people considered undesirable, ranging from criminals to those imprecisely designated as “feeble-minded.” — Washington Post (Aug 1, 2011)

758.

lineament

the characteristic parts of a person's face

The tears stood in Muriel's eyes, and her face was very pale, but serenity marked every lineament. — Davidson, John

759.

firebrand

someone who deliberately foments trouble But Hassan is not some teenage firebrand hurling rocks; he’s a slight, graying scholar committed to peace. — New York Times (Jun 9, 2011)

760.

fiasco

a sudden and violent collapse The Stuttgart protests became a national fiasco in late September, when protesters clashed with police wielding batons and water cannons. — Newsweek (Dec 14, 2010)

761.

foolhardy

marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences Many mistakes—extravagant purchases, foolhardy investments—are made in the first months after a windfall. — Wall Street Journal (Feb 24, 2012)

762.

retrench

tighten one's belt; use resources carefully

But there was only one way open to me at present—and that was toretrench my expenses. — Caine, Hall, Sir

763.

ulterior

lying beyond what is openly revealed or avowed Shop window displays may help prettify shopping thoroughfares, but any savvy retailer has the ulterior motive of self promotion. — BBC (Feb 3, 2010)

764.

equable

not varying His must have been that calm, equable temperament not easily ruffled, which goes with the selfrespecting nature. — Hurll, Estelle M. (Estelle May)

765.

inured

made tough by habitual exposure But he had become inured to the rush and whirr of missiles, and now paid no heed whatever to them. — Mitford, Bertram

766.

invidious

containing or implying a slight or showing prejudice

"After an old-fashioned, all-round team performance … it might seeminvidious to single out one player," admits the paper before singling out one player. — The Guardian (Jun 24, 2010)

767.

unmitigated

not diminished or moderated in intensity or severity In order to be well directed, sympathy must consider all men, and not the individual alone; only then is it an unmitigated good. — Williams, C. M.

768.

concomitant

an event or situation that happens at the same time The conclusion must be drawn that every epidemic of bubonic plague is caused by the concomitant rat plague. — Scientific American (Jan 21, 2011)

769.

cozen

cheat or trick Dicing-houses, where cheaters meet, and cozen young men out of their money. — Various

770.

phlegmatic

showing little emotion

Humanity, when surfeited with emotion, becomes calm, almostphlegmatic. — Tracy, Louis

771.

dormer

a gabled extension built out from a sloping roof Other features, such as the front French doors and two roof dormerswith curved-top windows and operable shutters, give this home a pleasing, well-balanced presence. — Southern Living (Apr 14, 2010)

772.

pontifical

denoting or governed by or relating to a bishop or bishops The high priest made no resistance, but went forth in his pontificalrobes, followed by the people in white garments, to meet the mighty warrior. — Lord, John

773.

disport

occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion Straightway the glade in which they sat was filled with knights, ladies, maidens, and esquires, who danced and disported themselves right joyously. — Spence, Lewis

774.

apologist

a person who argues to defend some policy or institution

Tories, and apologists for Great Britain, have written much about a justification for this action, but there is no real justification. — Barce, Elmore

775.

abeyance

temporary cessation or suspension My feelings of home-sickness had returned with redoubled strength after being long in abeyance. — Boldrewood, Rolf

776.

enclave

an enclosed territory that is culturally distinct And its suburban schools, rather than being exclusive enclaves, include children whose parents can't afford a house in the neighborhood. — Washington Post (Jan 11, 2011)

777.

improvident

not supplying something useful for the future He was industrious but improvident; he made money and he lost it. — Hubbard, Elbert

778.

disquisition

an elaborate analytical or explanatory essay or discussion

Cumulatively, what emerges from To Kill a Mockingbird is a thoughtfuldisquisition that encompasses – and goes beyond – the question of racial bias at its worst. — The Guardian (Jul 9, 2010)

779.

categorical

not modified or restricted by reservations "European leaders were united, categorical and crystal clear: Gaddafi must go," British Prime Minister David Cameron said. — Time (Mar 12, 2011)

780.

placate

cause to be more favorably inclined The East India Company was placated by the concession of further exemptions in its favour. — Smith, A. D.

781.

redolent

serving to bring to mind Here, however, are congregated a vast number of curious and interesting objects, while the place is redolent of vivid historical associations. — Ballou, Maturin Murray

782.

felicitous

exhibiting an agreeably appropriate manner or style

The first book is the finest, sparkling with felicitous expressions and rising frequently to true poetry. — Dennis, John

783.

gusty

blowing in puffs or short intermittent blasts Winds could get gusty, occasionally blowing at more than 30 miles per hour. — Reuters (Mar 29, 2011)

784.

natty

marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners He wore a checked suit, very natty, and was more than usually tall and fine-looking. — Green, Anna Katharine

785.

pacifist

opposed to war He was, furthermore, a real pacifist, believing that war is debasing morally and disastrous economically. — Seymour, Charles

786.

buxom

healthily plump and vigorous

Mrs. Connelly—a round, rosy, buxom Irishwoman, with a mellow voice, laughing eye, and artist-red hair—was very much taken with their plan. — Douglas, Amanda Minnie

787.

heyday

the period of greatest prosperity or productivity Playboy's most popular years are well behind it - the magazine enjoyed its heyday in the 1970s. — Washington Post (Jan 10, 2011)

788.

herculean

displaying superhuman strength or power He made herculean efforts to get on terms with his examination subjects, and worked harder than he had ever done in his life before. — Marshall, Archibald

789.

burgeon

grow and flourish Brooklyn's burgeoning dining scene has even developed a following among Manhattan food lovers. — Reuters (Oct 4, 2011)

790.

crone

an ugly evil-looking old woman

The aged crone wrinkled her forehead and lifted her grizzled eyebrows, still without looking at him. — Myrick, Frank

791.

prognosticate

make a prediction about; tell in advance How strange it is that our dreams often prognosticate coming events! — Huth, Alexander

792.

lout

an awkward stupid person But this question was beyond the poor lout's intelligence; he could only blubber and fend off possible chastisement. — Williams, J. Scott (John Scott)

793.

simper

smile affectedly or derisively Mrs. Barnett's mouth simpered at the implied flattery; but her eyes, always looking calculatingly for substantial results, were studying Reedy Jenkins. — Hamby, William H. (William Henry)

794.

iniquitous

characterized by injustice or wickedness

This was some piece of wickedness concocted by the venomous brain of the iniquitous Vicar, more abominable than all his other wickednesses. — Trollope, Anthony

795.

rile

disturb, especially by minor irritations The prospect of seeing Ms. Palin tour Alaska’s wild habitats may rilesome people who oppose her opinions about climate change. — New York Times (Mar 25, 2010)

796.

sentient

endowed with feeling and unstructured consciousness The money fluttered from his hand to the floor, where it lay like asentient thing, staring back as if mocking him. — Hitchcock, Lucius W.

797.

garish

tastelessly showy With its opulently garish sets and knee-jerk realism, the production dwarfed the cast, no matter what stars were singing. — New York Times (Jan 2, 2011)

798.

readjustment

the act of correcting again While earpieces are not uncomfortable, they do sometimes come loose, requiring readjustment. — Slate (Apr 17, 2012)

799.

erstwhile

belonging to some prior time Sony, whose erstwhile dominance in consumer electronics has been eroded by the likes of Samsung, could beat rivals to a potentially new generation of devices. — Reuters (May 20, 2010)

800.

aquiline

curved down like an eagle's beak The nose slightly aquiline, curving at the nostril; while luxuriant hair, in broad plaits, fell far below her waist. — Various

801.

bilious

irritable as if suffering from indigestion But his sleep had not refreshed him; he waked up bilious, irritable, ill-tempered, and looked with hatred at his room. — Garnett, Constance

802.

vilify

spread negative information about The trial was televised and the victim's identity became known, resulting in her being vilified by almost the entire town. — The Guardian (Jan 19, 2011)

803.

nuance

a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude By working so hard to simplify things, we lose any nuance or ability to deal with folks’ individual circumstances. — Washington Post (Oct 3, 2011)

804.

gawk

look with amazement He speaks mainly of his humiliation at lying on the sidewalk as hipstersgawked. — New York Times (Apr 9, 2012)

805.

refectory

a communal dining-hall, usually in a monastery Meanwhile, the soup was getting cold in the refectory, so that the assembled brotherhood at last fell to, without waiting any longer for the Abbot. — Scheffel, Joseph Victor von

806.

palatial

suitable for or like a large and stately mansion The house was very large; its rooms almost palatial in size, had been finished in richly carved hardwood panels and wainscoting, mostly polished mahogany. — Hitchcock, Frederick L. (Frederick Lyman)

807.

mincing

affectedly dainty or refined She went, carrying her little head very high indeed, and taking dainty,mincing steps. — Banks, Nancy Huston

808.

trenchant

having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought They are written in a serio-comic tone, and for sparkling wit,trenchant sarcasm, and dramatic dialectics surpass anything ever penned by Lessing. — Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim

809.

emboss

raise in a relief Requests may also be made of the stationer to use an embossed plate so that the letters stand out in relief. — Eichler, Lillian

810.

proletarian

a member of the working class As yet, the true proletarian wage-earner, uprooted from his native village and broken away from the organization of Indian society, is but insignificant. — Stoddard, Lothrop

811.

careen

pitching dangerously to one side I turned the steering wheel all the way to one side, and found myselfcareening backward in a violent arc. — Vogel, Nancy

812.

debacle

a sound defeat The Broncos are coming off their worst season in franchise history, a 4-12 debacle that included issues on and off the field. — Newsweek (Jan 9, 2011)

813.

sycophant

a person who tries to please someone to gain an advantage The people around the king are sycophants who are looking after their own personal advantage. — Coffin, Charles Carleton

814.

crabbed

annoyed and irritable He grew crabbed and soured, his temper flashing out on small provocation. — Weyman, Stanley J.

815.

archetype

something that serves as a model Newport, R.I., looks like a perfect archetype of a small, seaside New England town. — Forbes (Nov 3, 2010)

816.

cryptic

of an obscure nature The authorities, beyond some cryptic language about the death being sudden but not suspicious, have released no details. — New York Times (Aug 24, 2011)

817.

penchant

a strong liking But sometimes, old Wall Street habits — including a penchant for expensive luxuries — are hard to break. — New York Times (Mar 31, 2012)

818.

bauble

cheap showy jewelry or ornament on clothing But men were buying Valentine's baubles for their honeys long before the first Zales ever opened its doors in a suburban shopping mall. — Slate (Feb 14, 2012)

819.

mountebank

a flamboyant deceiver They are singularly clever, these Indian mountebanks, especially in sleight of hand tricks. — Ballou, Maturin Murray

820.

fawning

attempting to win favor by flattery “As any cult leader, he was extremely good at milking the rich, at flattering and fawning,” Ms. Gordon said. — New York Times (Apr 16, 2010)

821.

hummock

a small natural hill Captain Bill leaned back on a hummock of earth, his arms folded behind his head. — Grayson, J. J.

822.

apotheosis

model of excellence or perfection of a kind Contrary to popular belief, however, she said Ms. Deen’s fat-laden cooking does not in fact represent the apotheosis of Southern cuisine. — New York Times (Jan 17, 2012)

823.

discretionary

not earmarked; available for use as needed Steeper prices for basic necessities have forced many to cut back on more discretionary purchases. — Washington Post (Oct 19, 2011)

824.

pithy

concise and full of meaning As Moore isolated finer points of the passing game, Keller in neat penmanship jotted down pithy phrases and punchy quotes, basic ideas and specific concepts. — New York Times (Dec 10, 2011)

825.

comport

behave in a certain manner Ironically, the one man on stage who did comport himself with dignity, John Huntsman, is now being dismissed as having not made an impact. — Time (Sep 8, 2011)

826.

checkered

marked by changeable fortune Both restaurants have checkered histories with the health department; they were temporarily shut down for sanitary violations that included evidence of rodents. — New York Times (Aug 22, 2010)

827.

ambrosia

the food and drink of the gods "Frieda represents the lovely goddess, Hebe, who served nectar andambrosia to the high gods on Mount Olympus," she explained. — Vandercook, Margaret

828.

factious

dissenting with the majority opinion Will it be answered that we are factious, discontented spirits, striving to disturb the public order, and tear up the old fastnesses of society? — Stanton, Elizabeth Cady

829.

disgorge

cause or allow to flow or run out or over There are telephone poles and cinder blocks and living room chairs and large trash bins, overturned and disgorging their soggy contents. — New York Times (Oct 28, 2011)

830.

filch

make off with belongings of others Then, in place of the real site, it displays a fake site created to filchaccount numbers, login names and passwords. — New York Times (Jul 13, 2010)

831.

wraith

a mental representation of some haunting experience Whichever way he turns there loom past wraiths, restless as ghosts of unburied Grecian slain. — Lee, Carson Jay

832.

demonstrable

capable of being proved The linkage between deposits and trade is definite, causal, positive, statistically demonstrable. — Anderson, Benjamin M.

833.

pertinacious

stubbornly unyielding His temper, though yielding and easy in appearance, was in reality most obstinate and pertinacious. — Kavanagh, Julia

834.

emend

make corrections to The following were identified as spelling or typographic errors and have been emended as noted. — Hopper, James

835.

laggard

someone who takes more time than necessary Corporate data centers are the slowpoke laggards of information technology. — New York Times (Apr 10, 2012)

836.

waffle

pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness A few days of waffling back and forth and I ended up going out to a mediocre bistro with my parents. — Scientific American (Feb 8, 2011)

837.

loquacious

full of trivial conversation Pan soon found it needful to make conversation, in order to keep theloquacious old stage driver from talking too much. — Grey, Zane

838.

venial

easily excused or forgiven The confidence of ignorance, however venial in youth, is not altogether so excusable, in full grown men. — School, A Sexton of the Old

839.

peon

a laborer who is obliged to do menial work For the most part, the men were wiry peons, some toiling half naked, but there were a number who looked like prosperous citizens. — Bindloss, Harold

840.

effulgence

the quality of being bright and sending out rays of light Then, all at once, in a way that seemed to frighten her, the sunshine had burst the clouds, and dazzled her with its effulgence. — Fenn, George Manville

841.

lode

a deposit of valuable ore

Such local perturbations are regularly used in Sweden for tracing out the position of underground lodes of iron ore. — Gilbert, William

842.

fanfare

a gaudy outward display It opened a month ago to considerable fanfare, with television cameras trailing government officials meandering proudly around the bright new stores filled with imported goods. — New York Times (Aug 22, 2010)

843.

dilettante

showing frivolous or superficial interest; amateurish They dabbled in politics and art in the same dilettante fashion. — Cannan, Gilbert

844.

pusillanimous

lacking in courage and manly strength and resolution He was described by his friends as pusillanimous to an incredible extent, timid from excess of riches, afraid of his own shadow. — Motley, John Lothrop

845.

ingrained

deeply rooted; firmly fixed or held

The narrow prejudices of his country were ingrained too deeply in his character to be disturbed by any change of surroundings. — Fuller, Robert H.

846.

quagmire

a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot The heavy rain had reduced this low-lying ground to a veritablequagmire, making progress very difficult even for one as unburdened as he was. — Putnam Weale, B. L. (Bertram Lenox)

847.

reprobation

severe disapproval Mr. Conway denounced this scheme as "utterly and flagrantly unconstitutional, as radically revolutionary in character and deserving the reprobation of every loyal citizen." — Blaine, James Gillespie

848.

mannered

having unnatural behavioral attributes Nothing was mannered or pretentious; the texts came through with utter naturalness. — New York Times (May 29, 2011)

849.

squeamish

excessively fastidious and easily disgusted

But please note that this gunfire-fueled film is for mature audiences; given its content, young and/or squeamish viewers should avoid this one. — Washington Post (Aug 6, 2010)

850.

proclivity

a natural inclination She received, under her father's supervision, a very careful education, and developed her proclivities for literary composition at an early age. — Adams, W. H. Davenport

851.

miserly

characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity Now, my uncle seemed so miserly that I was struck dumb by this sudden generosity, and could find no words in which to thank him. — Stevenson, Robert Louis

852.

vapid

lacking significance or liveliness or spirit or zest How vapid was the talk of my remaining fellow-passengers; how slow of understanding, and how preoccupied with petty things they seemed! — Dawson, A. J. (Alec John)

853.

mercurial

liable to sudden unpredictable change Wind energy is notoriously mercurial, with patterns shifting drastically over the course of years, days, even minutes. — Scientific American (Jan 4, 2012)

854.

perspicuous

transparently clear; easily understandable The statements are plain and simple, a perfect model of perspicuousnarrative. — Smith, Uriah

855.

nonplus

be a mystery or bewildering to I shook my head and rushed from his presence, completelynonplussed, bewildered, frantic. — Cole, E. W. (Edward William)

856.

enamor

attract Young Indian audiences are so enamored with reality television that they will not watch the soap operas and dramas that their parents or grandparents watch. — New York Times (Jan 9, 2011)

857.

hackneyed

repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse Many speakers become so addicted to certain hackneyed phrases that those used to hearing them speak can see them coming sentences away. — Lewis, Arthur M. (Arthur Morrow)

858.

spate

a large number or amount or extent French authorities are already reporting a rising spate of calls to emergency services by homeowners whose once-frozen water mains have now burst. — Time (Feb 13, 2012)

859.

pedagogue

someone who educates young people His old pedagogue, Mr. Brownell, had been unable to teach him mathematics. — Pierce, H. Winthrop

860.

acme

the highest level or degree attainable Scientifically speaking, it is the acme of absurdity to talk of a man defying the law of gravitation when he lifts his arm. — Huxley, Thomas H.

861.

masticate

bite and grind with the teeth Food should be masticated quietly, and with the lips closed. — Cooke, Maud C.

862.

sinecure

an office that involves minimal duties He would have repudiated the notion that he was looking for asinecure, but no doubt considered that the duties would be easy and light. — Trollope, Anthony

863.

indite

produce a literary work She indited religious poems which were the admiration of the age. — Brittain, Alfred

864.

emetic

a medicine that induces nausea and vomiting The juice of this herb, taken in ale, is esteemed a gentle and very goodemetic, bringing on vomiting without any great irritation or pain. — Smith, John Thomas

865.

temporize

draw out a discussion or process in order to gain time So he temporized and beat about the bush, and did not touch first on that which was nearest his heart. — Erskine, Payne

866.

unimpeachable

beyond doubt or reproach Whether we agree with the conclusions of these writers or not, the method of critical investigation which they adopt is unimpeachable. — Huxley, Thomas H.

867.

genesis

a coming into being He found himself speculating on the genesis of the moral sense, how it developed in difficulties rather than in ease. — Miller, Alice Duer

868.

mordant

harshly ironic or sinister Even Morgan himself, intrepid as he was, shrank from the awful menace of the mordant words. — Crawford, Will

869.

smattering

a small number or amount Only a smattering of fans remained for all four ghastly quarters. — Washington Post (Sep 24, 2011)

870.

suavity

the quality of being bland and gracious in manner His combativeness was harnessed to his suavity, and he could be forcible and at the same time persuasive. — Windsor, William

871.

stentorian

with a booming voice If a hundred voices shouted in opposition, his stentorian tones still made themselves heard above the uproar. — J?kai, M?r

872.

junket

a trip taken by an official at public expense Mr. Abramoff arranged for junkets, including foreign golfing destinations, for the members of Congress he was trying to influence. — New York Times (Feb 26, 2010)

873.

appurtenance

a supplementary component that improves capability In the center of this space stood a large frame building whose courtyard, stables, and other appurtenances proclaimed it an inn. — Madison, Lucy Foster

874.

nostrum

patent medicine whose efficacy is questionable Just here a native "medicine man" dispenses nostrums of doubtful efficacy, and in front a quantity of red Moorish pottery is exposed for sale. — Meakin, Budgett

875.

immure

lock up or confine, in or as in a jail Political prisoners, numbering as many as three or four hundred at a time, have been immured within its massive walls. — Boyd, Mary Stuart

876.

astringent

sour or bitter in taste There was something sharply astringent about her then, like biting inadvertently into a green banana. — McFee, William

877.

unfaltering

marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable Still unfaltering, the procession commenced to trudge back, the littlest boy and girl bearing themselves bravely, with lips tight pressed. — Sabin, Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand)

878.

tutelage

attention and management implying responsibility for safety It will do so under German leadership that grows less hesitant with each crisis, and without the American tutelage it enjoyed for so many decades. — Newsweek (Jan 23, 2011)

879.

testator

a person who makes a will This will was drawn up by me some years since at the request of thetestator, who was in good health, mentally and bodily. — Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)

880.

elysian

of such excellence as to suggest inspiration by the gods Life seemed an elysian dream, from which care and sorrow must be for ever banished. — Hentz, Caroline Lee

881.

fulminate

criticize severely But with people looking for almost any excuse to fulminate against airlines these days, there's a certain risk of embellishment. — Salon (Jun 25, 2010)

882.

fractious

easily irritated or annoyed He was a fractious invalid, and spared his wife neither time nor trouble in attending to his wants. — Brazil, Angela

883.

pummel

strike, usually with the fist Another, with rubber bands wrapped tightly around his face, ispummelled by a plastic boxing kangaroo. — The Guardian (Jan 22, 2011)

884.

manumit

free from slavery or servitude Moreover, manumitted slaves enjoyed the same rights, privileges and immunities that were enjoyed by those born free. — Various

885.

unexceptionable

completely acceptable; not open to reproach All cowboys are from necessity good cooks, and the fluffy, golden brown biscuits and fragrant coffee of Red's making wereunexceptionable. — Mayer, Frank

886.

triumvirate

a group of three people responsible for civil authority This triumvirate approach has real benefits in terms of shared wisdom, and we will continue to discuss the big decisions among the three of us. — Salon (Jan 20, 2011)

887.

sybarite

a person addicted to luxury and pleasures of the senses He was not used to travelling on omnibuses, being something of asybarite who spared nothing to ensure his own comfort. — Wallace, Edgar

888.

jibe

be compatible, similar or consistent Contemporary art has never quite jibed with mainstream media. — Salon (Jul 6, 2010)

889.

magisterial

offensively self-assured or exercising unwarranted power “Now look here,” he said, making believe to take down my words and shaking his pencil at me in a magisterial way. — Fenn, George Manville

890.

roseate

of something having a dusty purplish pink color Behind the trees rough, lichened rock and stony slopes ran up to a bare ridge, silhouetted against the roseate glow of the morning sky. — Bindloss, Harold

891.

obloquy

a false accusation of an offense This is the real history of a transaction which, by frequent misrepresentation, has brought undeserved obloquy upon a generous man. — Purchas, H. T. (Henry Thomas)

892.

hoodwink

influence by slyness

The stories of the saints he regarded as preposterous fables invented tohoodwink a gullible and illiterate populace. — The Guardian (Sep 19, 2010)

893.

striate

mark with stripes of contrasting color The body is striated with clearly defined, often depressed lines, which run longitudinally and sometimes spirally. — Calkins, Gary N. (Gary Nathan)

894.

arrogate

seize and take control without authority Japanese manufacturers were accused of arrogating American technologies to churn out low-cost electronics. — New York Times (May 25, 2010)

895.

rarefied

of high moral or intellectual value The debate over climate science has involved very complex physical models and rarefied areas of scientific knowledge. — New York Times (Apr 9, 2011)

896.

chary

characterized by great caution There was no independent verification of the figure; the authorities have been chary of releasing death tolls for fear of inflaming further violence. — New York Times (Apr 24, 2011)

897.

credo

any system of principles or beliefs She preferred to hang out with everyone but was best friends with no one, holding to the credo: “You should be nice to people.” — New York Times (Jan 21, 2011)

898.

superannuated

too old to be useful Civil servants are superannuated at fifty-five years of age and are sent home on a pension, seldom enjoying life longer than two years afterward. — Hunt, Eleonora

899.

impolitic

not marked by artful prudence Bill Maher has always been a vocal critic of Islam, even at times making impolitic statements about the religion. — Salon (Mar 16, 2011)

900.

aspersion

a disparaging remark Lord Sanquhar then proceeded to deny the aspersion that he was an ill-natured fellow, ever revengeful, and delighting in blood. — Thornbury, Walter

901.

abysmal

resembling an abyss in depth; so deep as to be immeasurable After all, many Americans regard this Congress as dysfunctional, withabysmal approval ratings. — New York Times (Dec 28, 2011)

902.

poignancy

a quality that arouses emotions, especially pity or sorrow They were curious about the “near loss” experience—specifically the feelings of poignancy that occur when what we cherish disappears. — Scientific American (Jan 17, 2011)

903.

stilted

artificially formal But thanks to the stilted writing and stiff acting, the characters still feel very much like onedimensional figures from a dutiful fable. — New York Times (Jul 12, 2011)

904.

effete

marked by excessive self-indulgence and moral decay John Bull was an effete old plutocrat whose sons and daughters were given up to sport and amusement. — Moffett, Cleveland

905.

provender

food for domestic livestock "Fools!" she cried, looking in her magic crystal, "he was in the big sycamore under which you stopped to give your horses provender!" — Housman, Laurence

906.

endemic

of a disease constantly present in a particular locality Mean-spirited chants and songs are also endemic in British soccer. — New York Times (Jan 27, 2012)

907.

jocund

full of or showing high-spirited merriment Her jocund laugh and merry voice, indeed, first attracted my attention. — Lever, Charles James

908.

procedural

of or relating to processes In other words, the rejection was a bureaucratic/ procedural decision. — Scientific American (Feb 1, 2012)

909.

rakish

marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputableness She wore her red cap in a rakish manner on the side of her head, its tassel falling down over her forehead between her eyes. — Sage, William

910.

skittish

unpredictably excitable, especially of horses That combined with his calm and reassuring tone made me think of an animal trainer trying to woo skittish wild animals. — Time (May 20, 2011)

911.

peroration

a flowery and highly rhetorical address He had little hope that Gallagher, once embarked on a peroration, would stop until he had used up all the words at his command. — Birmingham, George A.

912.

nonentity

a person of no influence Was he such a nonentity in every way that she could remain unconcerned as to any fear of danger from him? — Woolson, Constance Fenimore

913.

abstemious

marked by temperance in indulgence Raw, boozy, untethered performances are heralded as real; theabstemious professional is yawned off the stage. — Salon (Jul 25, 2011)

914.

viscid

having the sticky properties of an adhesive Roads were quagmires where travellers slipped and laboured throughviscid mud and over icy fords. — Buck, Charles Neville

915.

doggerel

a comic verse of irregular measure

He sang, with accompanying action, some dozen verses of doggerel, remarkable for obscenity and imbecility. — Ritchie, J. Ewing (James Ewing)

916.

sleight

adroitness in using the hands The trick was performed Tuesday by Russell Fitzgerald, an amateur magician known to open meetings with a little sleight of hand. — Washington Post (Sep 29, 2011)

917.

rubric

category name Ms. Moss took issue, not surprisingly, with the notion that grouping the performances under the rubric of spirituality was a marketing ploy. — New York Times (Nov 22, 2010)

918.

plenitude

a full supply Of course at that season, amid the plenitude of seeds, nuts, and berries, they were as plump as partridges. — Reid, Mayne

919.

rebus

a puzzle consisting of pictures representing words They wrote at times with pictures standing for sounds, as we now write in rebus puzzles. — Park, Robert Ezra

920.

wizened

lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness Kim Jong Il may be increasingly wizened and frail, with fingernails white from kidney disease, but his propaganda apparatus is as vigorous as ever. — Wall Street Journal (Mar 26, 2010)

921.

whorl

a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles The flowers are waxy, tubular, fragrant, turning their yellow petals backward in a whorl. — Rogers, Julia Ellen

922.

fracas

noisy quarrel Other cops were battling each other, going after the kids and clutching empty air, cursing and screaming unheard orders in the fracas. — Freas, Kelly

923.

iconoclast

someone who attacks cherished ideas or institutions Jobs is a classic iconoclast, one who aggressively seeks out, attacks, and overthrows conventional ideas. — BusinessWeek (Oct 12, 2010)

924.

saturnine

bitter or scornful Only when Bill Lightfoot spoke did he look up, and then with a set sneer, growing daily more saturnine. — Dixon, Maynard

925.

madrigal

an unaccompanied partsong for 2 or 3 voices Nevertheless we learn from Malvezzi's publication that the pieces were all written in the madrigal style, frequently in numerous voice parts. — Henderson, W. J. (William James)

926.

discursive

tending to cover a wide range of subjects “Tabloid,” like his previous films, consists largely of long, discursiveconversations — in effect monologues directed at an unseen, mostly unheard interlocutor. — New York Times (Jul 22, 2011)

927.

zealot

a fervent and even militant proponent of something "The public is going to just think of us as these zealots who want to ban smoking everywhere," he said. — Seattle Times (Feb 20, 2011)

928.

moribund

not growing or changing; without force or vitality The entertainment sector there is booming, while Pakistan's ismoribund. — Seattle Times (Dec 3, 2011)

929.

modicum

a small or moderate or token amount He volunteered a modicum of advice, limited in quantity, but valuable. — Bolderwood, Rolf

930.

connotation

an idea that is implied or suggested In Arabic, the word “bayt” translates literally as house, but itsconnotations resonate beyond rooms and walls, summoning longings gathered about family and home. — New York Times (Feb 18, 2012)

931.

adventitious

associated by chance and not an integral part The derivation of the word thus appears to be merely accidental andadventitious. — Stace, W. T. (Walter Terence)

932.

recondite

difficult to penetrate The mystery of verse is like other abstruse and recondite mysteries—it strikes the ordinary fleshly man as absurd. — Gosse, Edmund

933.

zephyr

a slight wind The dwellings and public buildings throughout Cuba are planned to give free passage to every zephyr that wafts relief from the oppressive heat. — Various

934.

countermand

cancel officially In the midst of executing this order, he got another ordercountermanding it, and proceeding directly from his direct superior. — Belloc, Hilaire

935.

captious

tending to find and call attention to faults Miss Burton had been very irritable and captious in class, more so even than usual, and most of her anger was vented upon Gerry. — Chaundler, Christine

936.

cognate

having the same ancestral language The synonyms are also given in the cognate dialects of Welsh, Armoric, Irish, Gaelic, and Manx, showing at one view the connection between them. — Jenner, Henry

937.

forebear

a person from whom you are descended His forebears were Greek immigrants who opened a small sandwich shop in Brooklyn, then moved, one after another, to Providence, to sell distinct, delectable wieners. — New York Times (Sep 24, 2010)

938.

cadaverous

very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold

He looked gaunt and cadaverous, and much of his old reckless joyousness had left him, though he brightened up wonderfully on seeing an old friend. — Doyle, A. Conan

939.

foist

to force onto another Mr. Knoll added that the 3-D “Star Wars” movies are not “going to befoisted on anybody against their will.” — New York Times (Sep 29, 2010)

940.

dotage

mental infirmity as a consequence of old age He is, as you say, a senile old man in his dotage. — Wilcox, Ella Wheeler

941.

nexus

a connected series or group Numerous innovators are also worrying away at this nexus of problems. — Economist (Apr 28, 2011)

942.

choleric

characterized by anger

Jonathan, choleric with indignation, stood by his desk, clenching his hands. — Mills, Weymer Jay

943.

garble

make false by mutilation or addition But the fact remains that the contradictory and inconsistent things said do reach the public, and usually in garbled and distorted form. — Unknown

944.

bucolic

idyllically rustic Forty-four years ago, Bill Sievers moved into his neo-Colonial house in Douglaston, Queens, on bucolic Poplar Street, lined with stately trees and equally stately homes. — New York Times (Mar 26, 2012)

945.

denouement

the outcome of a complex sequence of events Suppose the truly apocalyptic denouement happens -- no deal is reached, and taxes rise for everyone. — Salon (Nov 30, 2010)

946.

animus

a feeling of ill will arousing active hostility

The youthful savages had each an armful of snowballs, and they were pelting the child with more animus than seemed befitting. — Murray, David Christie

947.

overweening

unrestrained, especially with regard to feelings He had overweening ambitions even then, along with a highly developed sense of his own importance. — New York Times (Apr 19, 2010)

948.

tyro

someone new to a field or activity As yet he was merely a tyro, gaining practical experience under a veteran Zeppelin commander. — Westerman, Percy F. (Percy Francis)

949.

preen

dress or groom with elaborate care He preened on fight nights in a tuxedo, a bow tie and no shirt, and he favored showy rings and bracelets. — New York Times (Jul 24, 2011)

950.

largesse

liberality in bestowing gifts

After being saved by government largesse, they say, big banks then moved to thwart reforms aimed at preventing future meltdowns caused by excessive risk-taking. — New York Times (Jul 14, 2011)

951.

retentive

good at remembering The child was very sharp, and her memory was extremely retentive. — Rowlands, Effie Adelaide

952.

unconscionable

greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation For generations in the New York City public schools, this has become the norm with devastating consequences rooted in unconscionablelevels of student failure. — New York Times (Nov 4, 2011)

953.

badinage

frivolous banter It was preposterous to talk to her of serious things, and nothing but an airy badinage seemed possible in her company. — Maugham, W. Somerset (William Somerset)

954.

insensate

devoid of feeling and consciousness and animation

Men also are those brutal soldiers, alike stupidly ready, at the word of command, to drive the nail through quivering flesh or insensatewood. — Stowe, Harriet Beecher

955.

sherbet

a frozen dessert made primarily of fruit juice and sugar "One person said it looks like a big lime sherbet ice cream cone!" — Southern Living (Apr 28, 2010)

956.

beatific

marked by utter benignity She dozed at last, her face serene and beatific. — Beach, Rex Ellingwood

957.

bemuse

cause to be confused emotionally They were marching in the middle of the street, chanting and singing and disrupting traffic while countless New Yorkers looked on, somebemused, others applauding. — Time (Oct 28, 2011)

958.

microcosm

a miniature model of something

The building, he said, is "a microcosm of what Shanghai was all about." — Wall Street Journal (Apr 30, 2010)

959.

factitious

not produced by natural forces Indeed, the Chinese make a factitious cheese out of peas, which it is difficult to discriminate from the article of animal origin. — Cameron, Charles Alexander, Sir

960.

gestate

have the idea for Mr. Lucas’s most recent project, still gestating, is a collaboration with Cuban musicians. — New York Times (May 9, 2011)

961.

traduce

speak unfavorably about For Grover Cleveland there were no longer enemies to traduce and vilify. — Straus, Oscar S.

962.

sextant

an instrument for measuring angular distance

For example, a sextant could be used to sight the sun at high noon in order to determine one’s latitude. — Scientific American (Mar 8, 2012)

963.

coiffure

the arrangement of the hair They sat down, and Saint-Clair noticed his friend's coiffure; a single rose was in her hair. — M?rim?e, Prosper

964.

malleable

easily influenced “The Americans are seen as naïve malleable tools in the hands of the Brits.” — New York Times (Nov 30, 2011)

965.

rococo

having excessive asymmetrical ornamentation The upper part of the case is decorated with elaborately carved and giltrococo motifs. — Bedini, Silvio A.

966.

fructify

become productive or fruitful

Thence they grow, expand, fructify, and the result is Progress. — Stanton, Elizabeth Cady

967.

nihilist

someone who rejects all theories of morality “He’s a loner nihilist who believes in nothing,” Mr. Lu said. — New York Times (Nov 6, 2011)

968.

ellipsis

omission or suppression of parts of words or sentences He speaks in ellipses, often leaving sentences hanging, and fiddles apologetically with his BlackBerry. — The Guardian (Jun 28, 2010)

969.

accolade

a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction The Nobel Prize, considered one of the highest accolades in literature, is given only to living writers. — Seattle Times (Oct 6, 2011)

970.

codicil

a supplement to a will

The codicil to her will, which she had spoken of with so much composure, left three hundred pounds to Stella and me. — Fothergill, Jessie

971.

roil

be agitated Like thousands of fellow students, he was roiled with emotions, struggling to come to grips with an inescapable reality. — New York Times (Nov 26, 2011)

972.

grandiloquent

lofty in style A large part of his duties will be to strut about on the stage, and mouth more or less unintelligible sentences in a grandiloquent tone. — Smith, Arthur H.

973.

inconsequential

lacking worth or importance But as the months went by, Mr. Kimura had an unexpected epiphany: His business, which he thought was inconsequential, mattered to a lot of people. — Wall Street Journal (Nov 11, 2011)

974.

effervescence

the property of giving off bubbles Both were in the very sparkle and effervescence of that fanciful glee which bubbles up from the golden, untried fountains of early childhood. — Stowe, Harriet Beecher

975.

stultify

deprive of strength or efficiency; make useless or worthless Far from being engines of economic growth, Egypt's leading cities arestultified. — Inc (Feb 12, 2011)

976.

tureen

large deep serving dish with a cover Soups are presented in big tureens and can be quite good. — New York Times (Apr 13, 2012)

977.

pellucid

transparently clear; easily understandable Caribou Island is a scant 300 pages, and written in prose as pellucidas the rivers he used to fish as a boy. — The Guardian (Jan 1, 2011)

978.

euphony

any pleasing and harmonious sounds It depends somewhat on usage and on euphony or agreeableness of sound. — Hamilton, Frederick W. (Frederick William)

979.

apocryphal

being of questionable authenticity We're reminded of the story, possibly apocryphal, that they used to play the Beach Boys' Smiley Smile in psychiatric wards to calm patients. — The Guardian (Jan 20, 2011)

980.

veracious

precisely accurate For proof, we cite the following veracious narrative, which bears within it every internal mark of truth, and matter for grave and serious reflection. — Roby, John

981.

pendulous

having branches or flower heads that bend downward And all around, far out of reach, the trees of the forest were swaying restlessly, their long, pendulous branches, like tentacles, lashing out hungrily. — Bates, Harry

982.

exegesis

an explanation or critical interpretation Its musical significance has been presented with illuminating exegesisby more than one commentator. — Forkel, Johann Nikolaus

983.

effluvium

a foul-smelling outflow or vapor However, acting on my best judgment, I struck a downward course, and then suddenly a horrible effluvium was wafted to my nostrils. — Mitford, Bertram

984.

apposite

being of striking appropriateness and pertinence He was quite capable of meaningful, apposite phrases about the game, even though distant sports editors did not encourage them enough. — The Guardian (Aug 18, 2010)

985.

viscous

having the sticky properties of an adhesive Sluggish, blind crawling things like three-foot slugs flowed across their path and among the tree trunks, leaving viscous trails of slime behind them. — Various

986.

misanthrope

someone who dislikes people in general And shaking his head like a misanthrope, disgusted, if not with life, at least with men, Patout led the horse to the stable. — Dumas père, Alexandre

987.

vintner

someone who makes wine The question remains, he said, whether established vintners will change their winemaking practices or “continue to sell their schlock.” — New York Times (Oct 27, 2010)

988.

halcyon

idyllically calm and peaceful; suggesting happy tranquility He now seemed to have entered on a halcyon period of life—congenial society, romantic and interesting surroundings. — Kennard, Nina H.

989.

anthropomorphic

suggesting human features for animals or inanimate things

The same anthropomorphic fallacy that accords human attributes to giant corporations like BP distorts clear thinking about how to limit their political influence. — Salon (Jul 28, 2010)

990.

turgid

ostentatiously lofty in style His waspish wit can make him entertaining company at a party, but there is little evidence of that in his largely turgid prose. — The Guardian (Jul 17, 2010)

991.

malaise

physical discomfort, as mild sickness or depression Initially, many doctors discounted sufferers’ feelings of generalizedmalaise as nothing more than stress or normal fatigue. — Time (Dec 22, 2011)

992.

polemical

of or involving dispute or controversy His works include several dogmatic and polemical treatises, but the most important are the historical. — Various

993.

gadfly

a persistently annoying person Mr. Phelps is regarded here as the ultimate example of an irritating local gadfly. — New York Times (Oct 9, 2010)

994.

atavism

a reappearance of an earlier characteristic Criminal atavism might be defined as the sporadic reversion to savagery in certain individuals. — Symonds, John Addington

995.

contusion

an injury in which the skin is not broken My falling companion, being a much stouter man than myself did not fare so well, as his right shoulder received a severe contusion. — Bevan, A. Beckford

996.

parsimonious

excessively unwilling to spend Pill-splitting is catching on among parsimonious prescription-takers who want to lower costs. — Forbes (Mar 4, 2010)

997.

dulcet

pleasing to the ear

Ever and anon the dulcet murmur of gurgling streams broke gently on the ear. — Madison, Lucy Foster

998.

reprise

repeat an earlier theme of a composition The live set reprises material from this remarkable group's earlier Aurora CD. — The Guardian (Jan 6, 2011)

999.

anodyne

capable of relieving pain But philosophy failed, as it will probably fail till some far-off age, to find an anodyne for the spiritual distresses of the mass of men. — Dill, Samuel

1000.

bemused

perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements They were marching in the middle of the street, chanting and singing and disrupting traffic while countless New Yorkers looked on, somebemused, others applauding. — Time (Oct 28, 2011) Copyright © 2015 Vocabulary.com All Rights Reserved. ·Home ·How It Works ·Educator Edition ·Leaderboards ·Blog ·Help ·Privacy ·Terms